• Press Release

    • LETTER: Indivisible and 500+ Organizations Urge Congress to Rein In ICE and Border Patrol in Appropriations Process

    Jan 21, 2026

    Washington, D.C. — Last week, Indivisible, ACLU, MoveOn and over 500 organizations across the country sent a letter to Congress urging them to rein in ICE and Border Patrol in the appropriations process.

    “As ICE agents escalate violence and chaos in our communities, Democrats in Congress must use the tools they have to rein the agency in. That means cutting off ICE’s slush funds in the Homeland Security funding bill by refusing to vote for any measure that increases funding for ICE or Border Patrol, including funding for detention, and placing real restrictions on this out of control agency. Renee Nicole Good was not the first person killed, and she will not be the last unless Congress takes clear, immediate action to rein in DHS, ICE, and CBP. The DHS bill that was released clearly falls far short, and should be roundly rejected. Every Democrat should be voting against this funding bill, and Democratic leadership in both chambers should be actively whipping their caucus in opposition. ,” said Andrew O’Neill, Indivisible’s National Advocacy Director.

    This letter called on Members of Congress to:

    • Refuse to vote for any FY2026 appropriations bill that includes increased funding for ICE or Border Patrol, including funds for detention. The existing system allowed 32 people to die in custody in 2025, the deadliest year ever, while thousands of others suffer physical and sexual abuse, medical neglect, and degrading conditions.
    • Refuse to vote for any appropriations bill for DHS beyond January 30 unless it:
      • Strengthens restrictions on ICE and Border Patrol’s ability to conduct dragnet arrest operations and target people based on their race, language or accent, place of employment, or location at the time of the apprehension;
      • Ends border patrol deployment to our cities and rejects its ever-expanding mandate in immigration enforcement; and
      • Limits DHS’s reprogramming and transfer authority, including specifically preventing reprogramming and transferring funds for detention.

    In addition to the letter, Indivisible is hosting a patch-through phone bank targeting Senate Democrats today at 1pm ET. Since last week, Indivisible has been driving calls to House and Senate offices. This Friday, Indivisible is calling on its base to join a National Day of Solidarity with groups in Minnesota who are pushing for corporate accountability against ICE.

     

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    ABOUT THE INDIVISIBLE PROJECT

    The Indivisible Project is a registered 501(c)(4) nonprofit. Our mission is to cultivate and lift up a grassroots movement of local groups to defeat the Trump agenda, elect progressive leaders, and realize bold progressive policies. Across the nation, thousands of local groups are using the Indivisible Guide to hold their members of Congress accountable.