Real oversight for ICE and CBP

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the proposed expansion of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the unprecedented funding increases currently under consideration. As your constituent, I urge you to vote against this expansion and to advocate for stronger oversight, transparency, and accountability within our federal enforcement agencies. The proposed $45 billion budget for ICE—along with plans to hire 10,000 new agents, detain 100,000 people daily, and execute 1 million removals annually—represents not just a policy shift, but a structural transformation of ICE into what could become the most powerful domestic enforcement agency in the United States. This expansion, coupled with the erosion of oversight mechanisms, raises serious concerns about civil liberties, due process, and the potential politicization of federal law enforcement. I am particularly alarmed by the parallels between ICE’s trajectory and the long-standing corruption issues within U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). CBP has been identified as having one of the highest per-capita corruption rates of any federal law enforcement agency. A former head of CBP internal affairs estimated that 5–10% of its workforce has been involved in corruption—including drug smuggling, human trafficking, and collusion with organized crime. In some cases, individuals have even sought employment at CBP specifically to facilitate cartel operations. The risk of coercion is especially acute for agents with family ties in Latin America. Cartels have a documented history of threatening or kidnapping relatives to force cooperation from U.S. agents. Yet there are no formal protections in place for agents or their families under such threats—no safe reporting channels, no family protection protocols, and no independent oversight body to investigate these vulnerabilities. Given these realities, expanding ICE without first addressing the systemic weaknesses in oversight and accountability is not just reckless—it’s dangerous. It opens the door to the creation of a federally funded, minimally accountable enforcement body that could be weaponized for political purposes. In the current climate, many Americans—including myself—fear that ICE could be transformed into a de facto private army for a political figure like Donald Trump, should he return to power. I urge you to: - Oppose the expansion of ICE until robust oversight mechanisms are in place - Demand independent investigations into corruption within CBP and ICE - Support legislation that protects agents and their families from cartel coercion - Ensure that any enforcement agency operating on U.S. soil is subject to the same constitutional checks and balances as local police This is not a partisan issue—it is a matter of national integrity, public safety, and democratic accountability. Please stand on the side of transparency, justice, and the rule of law.