Congress Must Condition DHS Funding on Enforceable ICE and CBP Guardrails

As your constituent, I am writing to urge you to act decisively on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) only if it includes clear, enforceable reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Recent events make it clear that without statutory guardrails, federal immigration enforcement can and has been used in ways that violate basic norms of constitutional policing, civilian oversight, and public safety. Recent immigration operations have resulted in injuries and the deaths of U.S. citizens, intensified public unrest, and raised serious concerns about transparency and accountability within DHS. Public trust cannot be restored through internal reviews or unenforceable policy guidance. It requires binding law. Members of both parties have acknowledged that ICE and CBP require reform, and Congress now has a narrow but meaningful window to act as funding decisions are being made. I urge you to support and advance the following reforms as explicit conditions for DHS appropriations: ICE and CBP agents must be required to use body-worn cameras during enforcement operations, with clear rules governing retention, access, and public release of footage. Agents must be prohibited from wearing masks or face coverings during enforcement actions and must display their name, agency, and a unique identification number at all times. Federal agents must be barred from entering private property without a judicial warrant based on probable cause, consistent with the Fourth Amendment. Congress must impose limits on roaming patrols and discretionary enforcement sweeps that allow agents to operate in civilian neighborhoods without specific, articulable justification. Sensitive and constitutionally protected locations — including polling places, schools, hospitals, courts, and houses of worship — must be explicitly protected from immigration enforcement activity absent judicial authorization. DHS must be subject to robust reporting, transparency, and independent oversight requirements for use-of-force incidents and enforcement outcomes, with meaningful congressional review. These are not radical proposals. They are commonsense standards that already apply to other law-enforcement agencies and enjoy broad public support. Conditioning funding on these requirements is not punitive; it is responsible governance. Congress should also revisit the unusual multi-year appropriation that currently insulates ICE funding through 2029. At a minimum, ICE should be returned to the standard annual appropriations process so that Congress can exercise regular budgetary review and oversight. No federal law-enforcement agency should be exempt from routine accountability. Congress retains the power of the purse precisely so it can prevent abuses before they become normalized. Approving DHS funding without enforceable guardrails and meaningful oversight would be an affirmative choice to tolerate continued misconduct and erosion of constitutional norms. I respectfully urge you to withhold support for any DHS funding package that does not include these reforms. Immigration enforcement must be lawful, accountable, and humane, and elections must remain free from intimidation by armed federal agents. Thank you for your attention and your service.