1,025 organizations urge Congress to halt funding for ICE and Border Patrol

A nationwide coalition of 1,025 organizations is calling on Congress to halt funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol, arguing that federal immigration enforcement has caused measurable harm in U.S. communities. In a letter sent Jan. 27 to lawmakers in Washington, the groups urged Congress to deny any additional funding and reverse recent appropriations. The letter specifically points to fatal encounters involving immigration agents and deaths in detention as grounds for defunding.

The coalition urged Congress to “refuse to provide one dollar” to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol, arguing that continued funding enables violence and shields the agencies from accountability. “How many more people have to die, how many more lies have to be told, and how many more children must be used as bait and abducted before Congress fulfills its responsibilities and stops these out-of-control agencies,” the letter states. The groups cited fatal shootings involving immigration agents and deaths in detention facilities as evidence that existing oversight mechanisms have failed.

Demonstrations against federal immigration enforcement continue to spread in recent days. Thousands of people have protested across the country following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge, a Trump administration immigration enforcement initiative in Minneapolis. Protesters have demanded the withdrawal of federal agents from the city and changes to ICE enforcement practices, including limits on the use of force.

The advocacy push comes as a partial U.S. government shutdown entered its third day Monday after Congress failed to approve full-year funding. While the Senate passed five spending bills last week, lawmakers removed a measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE and Border Patrol, approving instead a two-week stopgap to allow further negotiations. Asian American lawmakers have been among those weighing in on the funding debate, with several calling for greater accountability and signaling opposition to continued DHS funding without changes to immigration enforcement. Democrats more broadly have demanded reforms as a condition for approving DHS funding, while Republican leaders say they expect the House to advance the spending bills as negotiations continue.