1. United States
2. Mich.
3. Letter

I am writing to demand immediate action to stop Immigration and Customs Enforcement from terrorizing communities across America. Recent incidents demonstrate that ICE operations have crossed the line from law enforcement into human rights violations that endanger public safety and traumatize families. In Minneapolis, federal immigration officers shot and killed 37-year-old Alex Pretti during an enforcement action. This use of lethal force represents an alarming escalation in immigration enforcement tactics. Additionally, federal agents in Minnesota allegedly used a 5-year-old boy as bait to arrest his father, exploiting a child to carry out an arrest. The White House then posted a manipulated video of a Minnesota activist's arrest, deliberately misrepresenting what occurred to the American public. These are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of aggressive enforcement that is tearing apart families and creating fear in communities nationwide. When law enforcement agencies use children as tools for arrests and resort to deadly force in immigration operations, they undermine the trust necessary for effective policing and public safety. Immigrant families are now afraid to send their children to school, seek medical care, or report crimes. A medical examiner has also determined that a Cuban migrant in ICE custody died of homicide due to asphyxia, raising serious questions about conditions and practices within detention facilities. I urge you to take immediate legislative action to impose strict oversight on ICE operations, prohibit the use of deadly force except in cases of imminent threat to life, ban the exploitation of children in enforcement actions, and establish independent investigations into all deaths and use of force incidents involving ICE. Congress must hold hearings on these abuses and consider whether ICE requires fundamental restructuring or defunding. Our immigration system should reflect American values of dignity and due process, not terror and violence.