Demand Accountability — End ICE and Stop DHS Lawless Violence

I write today dismayed and outraged by the blatant failure of our federal legislature and executive agencies to protect fundamental civil rights and human life. Earlier today, House Democrats convened a Homeland Security hearing focused on violent abuses by DHS and ICE agents, including emotional testimony from the family of Renée Good — a U.S. citizen killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis — and others who were shot, assaulted, or grievously harmed by federal immigration enforcement. Conservatives and progressives alike should be deeply troubled by such events, yet Republican lawmakers chose to boycott this hearing instead of showing up for oversight. Even more galling, this hearing followed the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal immigration agents in Minnesota, one of whom was an ICU nurse, and the other a mother of three — deaths that have rocked communities and triggered calls for justice. This is intolerable. I demand that you — whether Republican or Democrat — act immediately to hold DHS and its subordinate agencies accountable, and to end the systemic abuses that are now resulting in U.S. citizens being killed or seriously injured. Words and hearings are not enough. Specifically, I call on you to: 1. Support complete abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — agency reforms will never stop the violence when the agency’s fundamental mission is enforcement at almost any cost. 2. Defund and restructure DHS enforcement components that operate with impunity and avoid meaningful oversight or accountability. 3. Require immediate and permanent moratoria on all ICE raids, arrests, and enforcement actions until a full and transparent federal investigation is complete. 4. Ensure comprehensive civilian review and criminal accountability for any federal agent who commits violence against U.S. citizens or lawful residents. 5. Challenge any DHS funding bill that fails to protect basic rights and human life, and oppose returning billions to an agency that has demonstrated systemic disregard for safety and constitutional protections. The American people deserve better than an agency that too often acts like a rogue armed force and a legislature that allows key members to ignore oversight responsibilities. Your constituent demands bold action now — not lip service, not half-measures, and not political grandstanding. If you fail to act decisively to abolish ICE and hold DHS accountable, know that you will be held accountable by the voters you claim to serve.