As the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on a funding bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday, Jan. 27, the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) joined hundreds of civil rights groups in signing on to an open letter demanding that Congress members refuse to vote for any FY2026 appropriations bill that includes increased funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Border Patrol.

 

“Congress must put an end to the federal immigration enforcement dragnet that sows violence, inflicts cruelty, and attacks the basic human and civil rights of our immigrant neighbors and our communities,” said NYLAG President and CEO Lisa Rivera.

 

She added, “We join our fellow advocates, legal services providers and allies across the nation in demanding that Congress not give one more dime of our tax dollars toward funding the federal government’s anti-immigrant reign of terror. Further, we urge Congress to revoke the tens of billions of dollars last summer’s reconciliation bill already poured into the coffers of these state-sanctioned, violent extremists and instead reallocate those funds toward programs working tirelessly on the ground to serve all communities, regardless of immigration status.”

 

The letter signed by 500+ civil rights groups demands Congress to “rein in the violence and lawlessness endangering our communities now, to demand that any appropriations bill for DHS restrains and requires accountability from immigration enforcement agencies, [and to] refuse to vote for any FY2026 appropriations bill that includes increased funding for ICE or Border Patrol, including funds for detention.

 

It further demands Congress to “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.”

 

It also demands Congress to “end 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.”

 

Meanwhile, as more ICE protests are planned in New York City for Thursday, Jan. 29, on Monday, Jan. 26, the New York Immigration Coalition joined elected officials and other activists from all across New York State in Albany to demand the passage of New York for All & the Access to Representation Act. For recent coverage of this immigration issue, from a local perspective, read our latest story here.