John,

Across the country, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is operating with sweeping authority, minimal oversight, and devastating consequences. Communities are living in fear, while families are being torn apart, and U.S. citizens and longtime residents are being swept up in aggressive raids that resemble a paramilitary campaign rather than lawful enforcement.

Democrats in both the House and Senate are finally saying what must be said out loud: ICE cannot continue to receive unlimited funding while it acts with impunity. Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Senators like Chris Murphy are calling out ICE’s record of violence, secrecy, and abuse. They are right, but they cannot stand alone.

For years, Congress has funded ICE first and asked questions later, if at all. The result is that internal investigations stall while civil rights violations go unanswered and oversight mechanisms are ignored. Each new appropriation becomes a green light for more misconduct. Funding without reform is not neutrality. It is an endorsement.

This moment demands clarity. Congress must refuse to fund ICE unless and until there are binding, enforceable reforms that rein in abuses, establish real accountability, and protect basic human rights. Democrats have the numbers to draw this line. What they need now is public pressure to hold it.

Tell Congress to oppose all ICE funding that does not include real, systemic reforms.

ICE’s pattern of misconduct is no longer deniable. From fatal encounters to secretive detention practices, the agency has demonstrated that internal fixes and promises are not enough. Without structural change, more money simply fuels the same harm.

Republicans want Democrats to quietly approve funding and move on. That is exactly how ICE has escaped accountability for years. Democrats must force reform and responsibility. No more blank checks.

Congress does not have to threaten a shutdown or escalate tension to act, it simply has to stop approving funding that enables unchecked abuse. The power of the purse exists for exactly this purpose.

Tell Congress no funding for ICE without real reform and real accountability.

Together, we can force change where silence has failed.

– DFA AF Team