Moulton, Ansari Warn Appropriators: No More Funding for ICE Without Accountability and Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Today, Congressman Seth Moulton (MA-06) and Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) sent a letter to the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee making clear that they will oppose any funding bill that expands Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) resources without strict guardrails and enforceable reforms.

In the letter to Chairman Mark Amodei (NV-02) and Ranking Member Henry Cuellar (TX-28), the lawmakers cited a growing national pattern of illegal and abusive ICE practices-underscored by the murder of Renee Good-including the use of excessive force, prolonged detention in facilities not designed to hold people, denial of medical care and legal access, and a lack of basic transparency. Congressman Moulton and Congresswoman Ansari also raised serious concerns about ICE's use of masked agents during civil enforcement actions and numerous examples of ICE detaining U.S. citizens.

"Congress cannot keep writing blank checks to an agency that repeatedly violates the law and actively harms its own citizens," said Congressman Moulton. "ICE has shown over and over again that it cannot be trusted to follow the law and protect the American people. Until ICE stops harming-and in some cases, killing-U.S. citizens and others in its custody, Congress should not spend another federal dollar on this agency. Our power of the purse is one of the only tools we have left to force accountability, and we need to use it."

"ICE is a rogue agency that Donald Trump is deploying to terrorize communities," said Congresswoman Ansari. "We must not approve any additional funding for this Trump militia force that has lost the trust, credibility, and legitimacy in the eyes of the American public. Instead, we need accountability in place for ICE's abuses, including the assault and murder of people on city streets and in detention facilities. I urge our appropriators to hold ICE and Donald Trump accountable for their crimes."

Congressman Moulton and Congresswoman Ansari state that they will not vote for a Homeland Security Appropriations bill that does not:

1. Freeze ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations funding at or below Fiscal Year 2024 enacted levels. No increases above that level should be provided without strict conditions on demonstrated compliance with detention standards, civil rights protections, and transparency requirements.
2. Prohibit the use of ICE field offices and processing centers for overnight or multi-day detention. Congress should require that all individuals be transferred to compliant detention facilities within a fixed number of hours, with mandatory notification to their attorney of record and an identified family member prior to transfer.
3. ​​Require ICE to issue and enforce a nationwide policy prohibiting the routine use of masks by agents during civil enforcement actions.
4. Reaffirm and strengthen language guaranteeing immediate access for Members of Congress and designated staff to any DHS facility used to detain or hold individuals, without advance notice or administrative delay.
5. Require regular public reporting on length of stay in field offices, medical staffing levels, complaints received, and corrective actions taken, disaggregated by facility.
6. Require ICE to publicly report, on a quarterly basis, all instances in which United States citizens or lawful permanent residents are stopped, detained, questioned, or held by ICE. Reports should include the duration of detention, the asserted basis for the action, how citizenship or lawful status was verified, whether force or restraints were used, and whether the individual was transferred or released.
7. Condition the obligation or expenditure of funds for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations on the full reinstatement and independent operation of ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility and DHS oversight entities, including the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties and the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman. DHS should be required to certify to Congress that these offices are fully staffed, retain independent investigative authority, and may transmit findings directly to Congress without alteration, delay, or political interference.

The full letter can be found here.

###