1. United States
2. Mass.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to withhold Department of Homeland Security funding until Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is fundamentally reformed or dismantled. Congress has now separated DHS funding from the broader appropriations package, creating a narrow but critical window to impose accountability. That leverage must not be squandered. In recent weeks, federal immigration enforcement has crossed multiple red lines. Immigration agents have killed U.S. citizens and lawfully present residents, followed by official narratives that were quickly contradicted by video, eyewitness accounts, and even DHS’s own preliminary disclosures to Congress. Rather than de-escalating, agents intensified operations, harassed residents and protesters, targeted school zones, and forced entry into sensitive locations. This pattern reflects not isolated misconduct, but systemic failure. At the same time, federal courts have intervened—more than once—ordering DHS to provide basic information about whom it has detained. DHS has missed deadlines and failed to comply. An agency that ignores court orders is not entitled to blank-check funding from a coequal branch of government. Congress must also confront the scale implied by DHS’s funding demands. ICE has already begun expanding detention capacity nationwide, including large warehouse facilities, even as lawmakers debate whether such funding is appropriate. Tens of billions of dollars are being requested for detention infrastructure without a clear explanation of who is being targeted or why such capacity is necessary. If ICE’s mission were truly limited to removing individuals with serious criminal records, existing resources would be sufficient. Instead, reporting shows ICE arresting lawfully present refugees, transporting them across state lines, detaining them without explanation, and releasing them without assistance—while terrorizing families and communities. That is not targeted enforcement; it is indiscriminate and destabilizing. Public opinion is clear. Americans support removing violent offenders, but they overwhelmingly oppose deporting long-settled, law-abiding immigrants, families, refugees, and parents of U.S. citizens. They also reject warrantless home entries, detention without proof, interstate transfers, and the use of force against peaceful protesters. Congress is not acting against the public will by imposing conditions on DHS funding—it is acting in alignment with it. Appropriations are not automatic. They are a constitutional tool for oversight. Congress should refuse to fund ICE as currently structured, roll back recent funding increases, and require enforceable reforms that restore transparency, accountability, and a clearly defined, lawful mission. Until that happens, DHS funding should remain on hold.