Defund ICE and Support Elimination of the Agency

I am writing to urge you to oppose any new funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and to support efforts to eliminate the agency entirely. With the January 30 shutdown deadline approaching for fiscal 2026 Department of Homeland Security funding negotiations, this is a critical moment to take a stand. The fatal shooting of Renee Good by a federal agent in Minneapolis on January 7 is the latest example of what Rep. Darren Soto accurately described as "a culture of violence" within ICE. Recent polling shows a plurality of voters now support eliminating ICE following this tragedy. The agency has demonstrated it cannot be reformed through incremental measures like body cameras or training requirements. Republicans have already provided ICE with $75 billion over the next decade through their party-line tax and spending package enacted over the summer, bypassing the traditional appropriations process. This is in addition to the nearly $11 billion granted in the fiscal year that ended in September. ICE has more than enough resources and has shown it will use them to perpetuate harm against immigrant communities. The argument that Democrats must fund ICE to impose oversight is fundamentally flawed. Providing additional funding legitimizes an agency whose core mission and culture are incompatible with humane immigration policy. The Congressional Progressive Caucus has taken the correct position by opposing new DHS funding unless there are meaningful and significant reforms, but even this does not go far enough. I urge you to vote against any appropriations bill that includes ICE funding and to publicly support eliminating the agency. Immigration enforcement can and should be handled through other mechanisms that prioritize human dignity and community safety. The time for half-measures has passed.