1. United States
2. Iowa
3. Letter

I am writing to demand immediate congressional action to restore integrity and lawful conduct within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Since the start of the second Trump administration, credible reports show agents entering duty without full background checks, shortened training, misuse of administrative warrants, and repeated incidents of excessive force and abuse. These failures violate both civil rights and public trust. Immediate Action
Congress must direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE to complete full re-screening of all active agents within 30 days, ensuring compliance with federal suitability standards under 5 C.F.R. § 731. Any agent who fails to meet those standards must be suspended until cleared. DHS and ICE should issue an interim compliance report within 45 days, and the DHS Inspector General and the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties must release public findings within 60 days on vetting, training, and use-of-force practices. Disqualifying Extremist Affiliations
ICE must permanently bar any applicant or employee linked to extremist or anti-democratic groups, as defined by the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Extremist Files. DHS should certify within 30 days that screening for extremist ties is active and ongoing across all personnel. Ongoing Vetting and Testing
ICE must implement continuous vetting—regular criminal, financial, and extremist-affiliation checks throughout employment. Every agent should face annual re-certification in ethics, constitutional rights, and de-escalation standards. Officers who fail testing should be removed from enforcement duty until qualified. DHS must publish biannual public reports on the number of officers reviewed, suspended, or disqualified. Protection from Illegal Orders
ICE agents must be trained to recognize and lawfully refuse illegal or unconstitutional orders. Their oath is to the Constitution, not to any administration. Congress should require ICE to adopt a Code of Ethical Refusal and protect whistleblowers who report unlawful directives or abusive policies. Lawful Training and Ethical Enforcement
Congress must ensure ICE restores full-length academy training (minimum 16–20 weeks), reinstates pre-employment adjudication, and enforces DHS Directive 044-05 on use of force consistent with Graham v. Connor (1989). Oversight should include all contract detention centers and local partners operating under ICE authority. Closing Appeal
This cannot wait for another oversight cycle. Every day that unvetted or improperly trained agents act under federal authority risks unlawful violence and undermines constitutional policing. I urge you to make these reforms and oversight commitments visible to the public within two months.