Defend the right to protest and protect Americans from unlawful force

This letter is written to ask you, as the elected representatives of Iowa, to defend the right of every American to protest peacefully and to protect citizens from unlawful or excessive force by any government agency. Across our country, there are disturbing patterns that cannot be ignored. More than two hundred people have died in ICE custody since 2003, including at least twenty-two this year—the highest number in about twenty years. Thousands of children are still waiting to be reunited with parents who were separated by federal policy. In cities such as Portland, Los Angeles, and Chicago, peaceful protesters have been injured when officers fired tear gas, flash-bangs, and “less-lethal” rounds into nonviolent crowds. These are not isolated mistakes; they show what happens when power acts without oversight. As representatives of the people of Iowa, it is your duty to speak clearly and act decisively when government power threatens the very rights it was created to protect. Silence in the face of violence is complicity. I am asking you to: – Make a public statement affirming that every American has the right to protest peacefully, without fear of violence or retaliation. – Take immediate legislative action to strengthen oversight and regulation of ICE operations. – Place firm limits on the use of military or police force against citizens in unlawful or unconstitutional ways. – Require transparency and accountability wherever government actions have caused harm. No American should ever be afraid to speak their mind or to stand peacefully in public. Protecting that freedom is not an act of partisanship—it is the basic duty of public service.