1. United States
2. Ill.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose the $1.2 trillion government funding package that allocates $10 billion to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This massive increase in funding for ICE is unacceptable and moves us further from the immigration reform our communities need. ICE has demonstrated through its enforcement tactics, including widespread raids across the country, that it operates with insufficient oversight and accountability. Rather than making our communities safer, these enforcement actions tear families apart and create fear among immigrant populations who are integral members of our neighborhoods. The $64.4 billion allocated to the Department of Homeland Security in this package will only expand these harmful practices. The recent House vote of 220-207 shows this funding increase passed along largely partisan lines, with minimal bipartisan support. This reflects the controversial nature of dramatically expanding ICE's budget when the agency's tactics and mission remain deeply problematic. Pouring billions more into an enforcement-first approach has not solved our immigration challenges and will not do so in the future. I believe the solution is not to fund ICE at higher levels but to abolish the agency entirely and reimagine how we approach immigration in this country. ICE was created in 2003 and is not essential to border security or immigration processing. Its elimination would allow us to build a system focused on humane treatment, due process, and pathways to citizenship rather than militarized enforcement and family separation. I urge you to vote against any future funding packages that increase ICE's budget and to support legislation that would abolish the agency. Our immigration system should reflect our values of dignity and justice, not expand an enforcement apparatus that has caused immeasurable harm to immigrant families and communities.