## Messaging Storm
### Wednesday, February 18, 2026
All Day Action: A coordinated call to our Elected Officials
U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121
or visit [5calls.org](5calls.org) and input your address to get direct phone numbers to your elected officials.
**This week’s National message: No Continuing Resolution (CR) for DHS**
**Background:**
2025 saw an increase in both power and funding to the Department of Homeland Security and two of their agencies: Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Patrol. Both of these agencies were given an enormous funding increase in the Budget Bill (H.R. 1), passed along partisan lines in July 2025, bloating these agencies’ budgets to $170 Billion dollars. 2025 ties (with 2004, first operational year of DHS) as the deadliest year for ICE since its founding in 2003, with 32 people dying in ICE custody. Federal agents have been given near unlimited power with V.P. JD Vance and Advisor Stephen Miller claiming that federal agents have total immunity. DHS tactics have continued to escalate, and January 2026 saw two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, killed by federal agents as well as 6 individuals dying while in custody. These numbers will continue to grow if DHS isn’t reined in.
At the end of January, the House passed H.R. 7147, the continuing resolution to fund the government through September 2026, which included more money for ICE without accountability. Senate renegotiated this bill to remove funding for DHS. Starting on Saturday, February 14, 2026, a partial government shutdown began affecting DHS, which also affects TSA, FEMA, and the Coast Guard.
**Action:** Call your Senators and representatives and demand DHS’ reign of terror be stopped.
**Wednesday Call Script: [No CR for DHS](from https://5calls.org/issue/dhs-cr-continuing-resolution-ice-cbp/)**
**NOTE: If leaving a Voicemail (or even when talking to a staffer), including ALL these demands is very long and you may go over time on the voicemail. Additionally, be patient with staffers who are taking notes to tally your opinions. You can choose to name just a few demands, and then follow up with the entire list via email.**
Hi, my name is **[NAME]** and I’m a constituent from **[CITY and ZIP; leave full address if leaving a message]**.
I’m calling to urge **[Representative/Senator]** vote against any Continuing Resolution for DHS and only support a funding bill that includes significant changes to ICE and Border Patrol. These agencies are recklessly endangering the American public and must be reined in. The necessary changes I would like to see enacted include…
**[Choose any number of the following]:**
A zeroing out of ICE’s appropriations funding, (and)
A repeal of H.R. 1’s $170 billion slush fund for ICE and Border Patrol, (and)
A requirement that agents remove their masks and show identification, (and)
A ban on arrests without judicial warrants, (and)
A ban on roving patrols, racial profiling, and arrest quotas, (and)
A ban on agents’ access to polling locations, schools, day cares, medical facilities, and other vulnerable locations, (and)
A return of Border Patrol officers to the border, (and)
Independent inspectors and oversight of all detention facilities to ensure humane treatment of detainees, (and)
A ban on the detention and deportation of children, (and)
A ban on the use of surveillance technology to track people, (and)
An end to the use of deadly force and the detention and deportation of U.S. citizens and lawfully present immigrants.
I expect Congress to do their job to enforce these laws and demand the investigation and prosecution of agents who break them.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
IF LEAVING VOICEMAIL: Please leave your full street address to ensure your call is tallied.
*A core principle behind all Indivisible events is a commitment to nonviolent action. We expect all participants to seek to de-escalate any potential confrontation with those who disagree with our values.*