1. United States
2. N.Y.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose any additional funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and instead support legislation to abolish the agency and prosecute agents and leadership who have violated the law. In January 2026 alone, ICE violated 96 court orders across 74 cases, according to documentation published by Chief Judge Patrick J. Schiltz of the US District Court in Minnesota. Judge Schiltz, a conservative jurist appointed by President George W. Bush, stated that "ICE has likely violated more court orders in January 2026 than some federal agencies have violated in their entire existence." This is not an agency that can be reformed through additional legislation. It is an agency that operates as if it is above the law. The current congressional negotiations propose giving ICE another $10 billion in the Department of Homeland Security funding package. This comes after ICE funding already tripled from $10 billion to $30 billion annually under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, making it equivalent to the 13th most expensive military in the world. Rewarding an agency that systematically ignores court orders with billions more in taxpayer dollars is unconscionable. The proposed reforms requiring body cameras, warrant coordination, and accountability measures are meaningless when ICE already violates existing constitutional protections and court orders with impunity. Warrantless arrests are already unconstitutional. Ignoring court orders is already illegal. Creating new laws for ICE to break solves nothing. I urge you to vote against any DHS funding package that includes money for ICE. Instead, support legislation to abolish the agency entirely and establish a process to investigate and prosecute agents and leadership who have committed crimes, including contempt of court and civil rights violations. An agency that operates outside the law has no place in our democracy.