Mayor Seeks Reforms Tied to Homeland Security Funding

Published on February 13, 2026

Mayor Mike Johnston today joined mayors from other large cities in calling for Congress to demand commonsense reforms as a condition of funding the Department of Homeland Security.

"As mayors, we know our most solemn responsibility is to keep our residents safe,"said Mayor Mike Johnston."It shouldn't be too much to ask ICE to abide by the same standards we expect of our own police officers. Congress should withhold funding until ICE agrees to remove masks, wear body cameras, revise its policies, and behave like an actual law enforcement agency with real accountability in place."

Needed reforms include:

• An immediate end to the use of face masks that allow agents to hide their identities.

• An immediate stop to the violent tactics used by Federal Law Enforcement, including a revised use of force standard placed into law that expands training and requires certification.

• Mandatory body-worn cameras for all federal enforcement actions.

• Judicial warrants before any entry onto private property and public property that is not open to general public access.

• Absolute protection of sensitive locations like schools, hospitals, and places of worship.

• Racial profiling prohibitions that would stop DHS officers from stopping, questioning, or searching individuals based on location, occupation, language or accent, race, or ethnicity.

• Preserve the authority of state and local jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute potential crimes, including excessive force. Require preservation and sharing of evidence. Mandate state or local consent for large-scale operations beyond targeted immigration enforcement.

Denver has filed five lawsuits and three amicus briefs against the Trump Administration to protect federal funding, preserve city policy, and defend the rights of individuals to seek reproductive care.

The letter was sent today by the City of Chicago and included signatures from Denver, Baltimore, Boston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New Orleans, and Portland, Oregon. You can read ithere.

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