1. United States
2. Maine
3. Letter

Members of Congress, We are writing to urge you to use your immediate powers over funding and lawmaking to stop abusive and lawless immigration enforcement. This is not about minor reform; it is about whether federal agencies will be allowed to erode core constitutional norms in our homes and communities. First, you must use the power of the purse. Vote NO on any DHS appropriations bill that increases funding for ICE detention beds, monitoring (including any “bed mandate”), raids, “surge” operations, tactical units, or expanded surveillance programs. Vote NO on any bill that quietly restores or back‑fills enforcement funds cut elsewhere. Vote YES only on DHS bills that reduce total funding for ICE detention and enforcement, strictly limit DHS’s ability to transfer or reprogram money into ICE and Border Patrol, and bar the use of funds for immigration enforcement at homes without judicial warrants and at sensitive locations such as courthouses, schools, hospitals, and houses of worship. Second, you must support and co‑sponsor legislation that ends the detention‑driven model. Back bills that phase out immigration detention facilities and private contracts, eliminate carceral “alternatives” when community‑based support is available, and redirect funds to case management and universal legal representation. Third, restore real constitutional guardrails. Support laws requiring a judicial warrant from an independent judge for any ICE or CBP home entry, sharply limiting “administrative warrants” and deceptive consent. Ban dragnet operations based on race, language, accent, workplace, or presence in public spaces. Fourth, embed enforceable accountability. Tie any remaining enforcement funds to public reporting of deaths in custody, medical neglect, and use of force, with automatic penalties—including program shutdowns—for noncompliance, and require body‑worn cameras on high‑risk operations. Finally, protect protesters, local officials, and mixed‑status families, and build a humane immigration framework with real status pathways and integration support. We ask you to publicly commit to these voting positions and sponsorships—and to explain them clearly to your constituents—so federal lawlessness does not become our new normal.