1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

With the passage of H.R. 1, Republicans in the House and Senate have handed Donald Trump and notorious xenophobe Stephen Miller $171 billion to supercharge their mass deportation operations, including $45 billion for detention centers and $30 billion for new ICE officers and transportation. ICE’s funding now exceeds the total immigration enforcement budgets of the Obama, Biden, and first Trump administrations combined. Many budget reconciliation provisions do not go into effect until 2026 or later, but ICE’s funding increase is immediate. This means: • More ICE raids in cities nationwide, with ICE agents terrorizing residents with masked abductions and violent assaults and ICE impersonators further fueling chaos and fear. • More despicably inhumane concentration camps like the facility grossly dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” built on top of a Florida Everglades swamp. • More economic damage as farmworkers, caregivers, and other essential workers go into hiding and communities avoid public spaces out of fear. Despite this unprecedented level of funding for ICE, the agency relies on local law enforcement for assistance. The bill includes $14 billion for local law enforcement departments to incentivize such partnerships. Both Congress and state governments must oppose the Trump administration’s push towards an authoritarian police state and protect its communities from this terrifying assault.