New York Legal Assistance Group Urges U.S. Senate to Reject Increased ICE & Border Patrol Funding Alongside 100s of Civil Rights Group Nationwide

NYLAG & nationwide orgs demand Congress vote down FY26 appropriations bills with increases to ICE today

NEW YORK - As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today, the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) joins hundreds of civil rights groups in signing on to an open letter demanding that Congress members refuse to vote for any FY2026 appropriations bill that includes increased funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol.

"Congress must put an end to the federal immigration enforcement dragnet that sows violence, inflicts cruelty, and attacks the basic human and civil rights of our immigrant neighbors and our communities," said NYLAG President and CEO Lisa Rivera. "We join our fellow advocates, legal services providers and allies across the nation in demanding that Congress not give one more dime of our tax dollars toward funding the federal government's anti-immigrant reign of terror. Further, we urge Congress to revoke the tens of billions of dollars last summer's reconciliation bill already poured into the coffers of these state-sanctioned, violent extremists and instead reallocate those funds toward programs working tirelessly on the ground to serve all communities, regardless of immigration status."

The letter, "500+ Civil Rights Groups to Congress: Rein in ICE and Border Patrol Now," demands that Congress:

• Rein in the violence and lawlessness endangering our communities now
• Demand that any appropriations bill for DHS restrains and requires accountability from immigration enforcement agencies
• Refuse to vote for any FY2026 appropriations bill that includes increased funding for ICE or Border Patrol, including funds for detention
• Refuse to vote for any appropriations bill for DHS beyond January 30 unless it:
  • Strengthens restrictions on ICE and Border Patrol's ability to conduct dragnet arrest operations and target people based on their race, language or accent, place of employment, or location at the time of the apprehension;
  • Ends border patrol deployment to our cities and rejects its ever-expanding mandate in immigration enforcement; and
  • Limits DHS's reprogramming and transfer authority, including specifically preventing reprogramming and transferring funds for detention.

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