Confront ICE’s Authoritarian Turn and Save the Soul of America
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has strayed beyond its mission and now acts as a militarized force eroding constitutional rights. Reporting, including Garrett Graff’s Sept. 9, 2025 essay, warns that unchecked ICE practices threaten democratic norms and normalize racial profiling. ICE is being shaped into the personal police force of the President - a hallmark of dictatorships. Congress must act decisively.
Stop ICE From Becoming the President’s Personal Police Force
ICE now acts like the FBI, Secret Service, and a paramilitary unit combined. Agents in tactical vests and masks blur jurisdiction and intimidate the public. When law enforcement answers to the President, not the people, the rule of law collapses. Congress must restore legal boundaries, bar ICE from assuming other federal roles, and outlaw anonymous policing.
Stop Profiling and Protect Civil Rights
Supreme Court approval of ICE profiling sanctions targeting by appearance, language, or ethnicity. This is a blow to equal protection. Congress must ban profiling, require demographic reporting of stops, and penalize discriminatory enforcement.
Reclaim Schools, Courts, and Communities from Fear
ICE at schools, courthouses, and community centers turns civic spaces into zones of intimidation. Victims stay silent, witnesses avoid testifying, and public trust erodes. Congress must bar operations at sensitive locations absent genuine emergencies and require advance disclosure.
Restore Accountability and End Anonymous Policing
ICE’s use of masks and lack of identification shield misconduct and destroy transparency. In a democracy, officers must be visible and accountable. Congress must require insignia and IDs, ban masks except for narrow undercover needs, and penalize concealment.
Speak Out and Hold Oversight Hearings
Congress cannot stay silent. Members must speak out to warn Americans about the threat to civil liberties and democracy. Congress must hold oversight hearings to investigate abuses, expose misconduct, and build the record for reform.
ICE is not merely enforcing immigration law - it is reshaping government-people relations and corroding freedom. Please legislate, speak out, and convene hearings to rein in ICE, restore constitutional protections, and ensure enforcement serves - not undermines - democracy.
Sign Petition
