1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose any Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill or Continuing Resolution that maintains funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. With the January 30th deadline approaching for Congress to pass remaining appropriations bills for fiscal year 2026, I need you to take a stand against continued funding for an agency that has repeatedly demonstrated it operates without adequate oversight or accountability. Since ICE was established in 2003, the agency has been credibly accused of conducting unconstitutional border checkpoints, separating families, denying due process rights, and subjecting detained immigrants to physical, sexual, and mental abuse. These are not isolated incidents but patterns of behavior that have persisted across multiple administrations. The recent escalation of violence is particularly alarming. Since September 2025, there have been nine ICE shootings, including the killing of Renee Good in Minnesota. These incidents demonstrate that ICE poses a threat not only to immigrant communities but to all residents in areas where the agency operates. The "One Big Beautiful" bill already provided ICE with a $75 billion slush fund without guardrails or conditional oversight, enabling these violent attacks to continue unchecked. Funding ICE means funding an agency that terrorizes communities rather than protecting them. The appropriations process gives Congress the power to redirect these resources toward approaches that actually enhance public safety and uphold constitutional rights. Other federal agencies can handle legitimate immigration enforcement functions without the pattern of abuse that has defined ICE since its creation. I am asking you to vote against any DHS appropriations bill that includes funding for ICE operations. The agency should be defunded and dissolved, with its functions either eliminated or transferred to agencies with better accountability structures. Your constituents deserve immigration enforcement that respects human rights and operates within the law.