Immigration Raids Waste $170B: While Terrorism, Serious Fed Crimes Go Unsolved

Federal courts have declared Trump's immigration actions unconstitutional. The Georgia Hyundai raid detained 475, mostly lawful South Korean workers. Diplomacy now returns over 300 workers home. A Los Angeles judge found evidence that agents arrested people based on race and accents, violating the Fourth Amendment. The Ninth Circuit ruled ICE illegally interrogated 130 workers without attorneys and held them without food or water for 18 hours. These costly raids waste billions and compromise safety. Congress allocated $170 billion for immigration enforcement through 2029, exceeding the federal prison budget. ICE is $1 billion over this year's budget. Meanwhile, 80% of ATF’s 2,500 agents work on immigration instead of firearms or arson; a quarter of DEA’s 10,000 focus on immigration enforcement. Federal agents are now investigating restaurants instead of terrorism, child abuse or fraud. Research shows these raids harm the economy and communities. UC Davis economist Giovanni Peri links mass deportations to fewer jobs and shrinking local economies. The Cato Institute estimates $900 billion in lost tax revenue. Studies reveal millions face losing healthcare to fund detention, neglecting real priorities in our country. Immigration enforcement diverts resources from criminal cases. Drug prosecutions declined while immigration cases quadrupled in San Diego. Senator Durbin warns this misdirection hampers efforts against terrorism and child exploitation. Former agents state resource diversion from core law enforcement is unprecedented. As your representative, you must investigate these illegal activities. Use oversight to hold hearings, subpoena documents, and cut the $170 billion immigration budget. Funds should go to legitimate law enforcement priorities. I urge you to: - Investigate detention violations - Hold hearings on resource diversion - Hold agency leaders accountable for racial profiling - Reallocate funds to terrorism, drug, and child safety - Pass laws for judicial oversight of raids Congress controls funding. Stop supporting unconstitutional operations that endanger safety and benefit private detention firms. Focus on real threats, uphold our Constitution, and serve your constituents’ safety and rights.