(Washington)—The Immigrant Legal Resource Center ILRC) demands our elected leaders abandon the failed reformist steps when it comes to dealing with DHS and ICE. Anything less than the full dismantling of ICE will not be a sufficient response to what is happening across our country.
Poll after poll indicates the majority of Americans do not approve of federal enforcement actions targeting immigrants. Our elected leaders must understand that DHS is how the Trump administration is creating a paramilitary force to do the president’s bidding, regardless of the constitutional rights of all people.
We’ve seen our elected officials capitulate toward Trump’s hateful and racist anti-immigrant agenda by attempting to find common ground—this leads to disastrous results such as the Laken Riley Act, which rather than make communities safe exposes greater and greater people to the risk of deportation.
The solution to this enforcement disaster is not more ICE training. In fact, a highly trained officer of 10 years is who executed Renee Good in Minnesota. Also, these agents are doing exactly what Trump wants them to do: terrorize communities in the pursuit of achieving his mass deportation agenda at any cost. No amount of “retraining” will change their mindset. ICE has been operating via a secret–and illegal–memo to disregard the 4th Amendment rights of people; a similar new memo has just been uncovered.
The ILRC demands Congressmembers stop trotting out hollow demands of reform that do not address the systemic failures of ICE. They also must stop allowing Trump to use displays of aggression, like he is in Minnesota, to coerce elected officials into compliance. We urge Congress to look to your constituents who are out on the streets demanding ICE leave their cities. They are not looking to negotiate, period.
Political Leaders Should NOT vote in favor of DHS funding which actually funds the following, which go against our foundational constitutional rights:
- State sanctioned racial profiling;
- Enforcement actions at sensitive locations such as school and religious institutions;
- Warrantless arrests in violation of the 4th amendment;
- The detention of children under the age of 18 and their families; and
- Contracts or agreements with public or private for-profit companies owning or operating detention facilities.
Our political leaders should include the following in DHS funding:
- Funds for Immigrant Legal Service Funds in cities across the country.
- Funds for sanctuary policies.
- Redirecting DHS funding from HR 1 to services that benefit communities across the US, such as housing and healthcare.
Again, the ILRC urges political leaders to follow the lead of their constituents who make their voices heard every single day in communities big and small across the nation. Their bravery in standing up to injustice must be your guiding light.
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The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) is a national nonprofit that works with immigrants, community organizations, legal professionals, and policy makers to build a democratic society that values diversity and the rights of all people. Through community education programs, legal training & technical assistance, and policy development & advocacy, the ILRC works to protect and defend the fundamental rights of immigrant families and communities. Follow us at www.ilrc.org, and @the_ILRC on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and TikTok. Also follow us on Bluesky @the-ilrc.bsky.social, and on Facebook.