1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

Dear Senator Schumer, I am writing as a deeply concerned Democrat who believes we are no longer living in a moment where procedural normalcy is sufficient — or even defensible. The Trump administration’s use of ICE and DHS is not routine governance. It is coercive, punitive, and increasingly authoritarian. In that context, continuing to fund these agencies through temporary extensions without hard, enforceable constraints is not pragmatism — it is acquiescence. A two-week continuing resolution for DHS does not project strength. It signals fear of disruption at precisely the moment when disruption is the only remaining source of leverage. Authoritarian movements thrive when their opponents prioritize stability, optics, and tradition over clarity, courage, and consequence. I do not believe you or your colleagues are blind to this reality. What is alarming is that Democratic leadership continues to act as though the old rules still apply — as though good faith, institutional guardrails, and incrementalism will restrain a movement that has already discarded all three. If ICE and DHS are operating outside democratic norms, then funding them without conditions is not compromise. It is consent by default. History will not judge this moment by how carefully Senate norms were preserved. It will judge whether those with power used it — fully, visibly, and unapologetically — to defend constitutional democracy. This is not a time for temporary fixes or message discipline. It is a time for moral clarity, real leverage, and leadership willing to accept short-term political risk to prevent long-term democratic collapse. I urge you to act accordingly. Respectfully,