1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to refuse to vote for any appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security that fails to include meaningful accountability measures for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Our communities deserve immigration enforcement agencies that operate with transparency and respect for human rights. For too long, ICE and Border Patrol have operated with insufficient oversight, leading to documented abuses and erosion of trust between law enforcement and the communities they are meant to serve. Any funding bill that continues business as usual without substantive reforms fails our constituents. I am asking you to support only DHS appropriations legislation that includes concrete provisions to rein in these agencies. This means requiring enhanced reporting on enforcement activities, establishing independent oversight mechanisms, and ensuring that funding is not used for practices that separate families or violate due process rights. Communities across your district need assurance that federal law enforcement agencies will be held to the same standards of accountability we expect from local police. The power of the purse is Congress's most effective tool for demanding agency reform. By conditioning DHS funding on specific accountability measures, you can protect both immigrant and non-immigrant constituents who are impacted by overly aggressive enforcement tactics. This is not about eliminating immigration enforcement but about ensuring it operates within appropriate legal and ethical boundaries. I urge you to take a firm stance on this issue. Vote no on any DHS appropriations bill that does not include substantive reforms to ICE and Border Patrol operations. Our communities are counting on you to use your appropriations authority to demand better from these agencies.