1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

I am writing as a constituent to express my profound outrage at the continued actions of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and to demand that Congress defund the agency without delay. ICE has repeatedly demonstrated that it is incapable of carrying out its mission without inflicting widespread harm, violating basic human rights, and eroding public trust in government. ICE’s record is clear and deeply disturbing. The agency has overseen the routine separation of families, the detention of children and vulnerable adults, and the incarceration of individuals in facilities marked by abuse, neglect, and preventable deaths. Detainees are frequently denied adequate medical care, subjected to prolonged confinement without meaningful due process, and treated as disposable rather than human. These are not aberrations; they are the predictable outcomes of an enforcement system built on punishment and fear. Beyond the moral cost, ICE represents a profound misuse of public funds. Billions of taxpayer dollars are poured into mass detention, private prison contracts, and aggressive enforcement tactics that have been shown to be ineffective at improving public safety. Instead, these actions destabilize communities, discourage immigrants from reporting crimes or seeking emergency services, and undermine the very rule of law ICE claims to uphold. Congress has alternatives—and evidence to support them. Community-based case management, access to legal counsel, and timely immigration court proceedings are not only more humane, but far more effective and significantly less expensive than detention and deportation. Continuing to fund ICE at current levels is a deliberate choice to ignore these proven solutions. Defunding ICE is not a radical demand; it is a necessary step toward accountability, justice, and a functional immigration system. Congress cannot credibly claim to support human rights while financing an agency that consistently violates them. I urge you to act decisively by defunding ICE and redirecting those resources toward policies that respect dignity, due process, and family unity. Your constituents are watching. History will remember whether you chose to perpetuate cruelty or to lead with courage and humanity.