What you can do today to stop the DHS funding bill

[usonian]

https://indivisible.actionkit.com/mailings/view/123565

DU'er:

Since we sent the below email yesterday, federal agents have killed another person in Minneapolis. The video of them tackling 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti to the ground before opening fire is absolutely horrific. Everything about ICE and Border Patrol’s brutal invasion of our communities is horrific.

It is increasingly clear that stripping the Department of Homeland Security down to the studs -- ICE, Border Patrol, all of it -- is the minimum we must do when we regain power.

But we can’t afford to wait that long to rein in these agencies. Senators have a choice next week to vote for a DHS funding bill that gives ICE and Border Patrol more money to brutalize our neighbors or to say ENOUGH. We must demand our senators -- especially our Democratic senators -- refuse to give ICE and Border Patrol one more penny of taxpayer money or vote for any funding bill that doesn’t get these thugs the &$*# out of our cities.

Since senate offices are closed today, we’re asking you to email your senators and demand they use their vote this week to rein in ICE and CBP death squads.

Then make a call. If your senators’ voicemails are full, call back on Monday.

We can’t go on like this. It’s time for our leaders to step up and protect their constituents. And if they won’t, we’re going to elect new leaders.

In mourning and solidarity,
Indivisible Team

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ICE is terrorizing our communities, violating our constitutional rights, and killing innocent people -- and the House just voted to give them more money. Yesterday, the House passed a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including hundreds of millions of dollars in additional funding for ICE. That increase comes with no meaningful restrictions or accountability measures to rein in ICE and Border Patrol.

We’re demanding Congress use the appropriations process to end ICE and Border Patrol’s lawlessness. This bill doesn’t just fall short -- it increases the funding for their brutality. But this fight isn’t over.

The Senate will vote on the DHS appropriations bill next week -- and it cannot pass without Democratic votes. If you’re ready to take action, call your senators and demand they vote no on increased funding for ICE and Border Patrol.

Call Your Senators

Everything wrong with the DHS funding bill

❌ The bill increases funding for ICE. If this bill passes, ICE will receive $400 million more for detention and $370 million more for its enforcement budget compared to last year. That’s on top of the $170 billion allocated by Trump’s Big Ugly Bill for his mass deportation machine. ICE is using taxpayer dollars to kill people, invade homes without warrants, and threaten peaceful protestors. The last thing we should be doing is giving them more money to enable their cruelty.

❌ The reforms included in the bill are completely inadequate. The bill allocates funding for body cameras, officer training, and the DHS Inspector General’s Office, but these measures fall far short of what we need to actually protect our communities. We’ve already seen what ICE thugs are willing to do on camera -- one filmed the killing of Renee Good on his own cellphone. And there’s no reason to think that giving the Trump regime more money to investigate itself will stop the violence unfolding in our streets.

❌ Actual restrictions on ICE were left out. Congress can end Border Patrol deployments to our cities; restrict ICE and Border Patrol’s dragnet operations, racial profiling, and mass surveillance; and prevent these agencies from stealing funds from other programs to run their mass deportation machine. All of these provisions would have real impact on the ground, but none of them were included in this bill.

There’s still time to act

The DHS funding bill will move to the Senate where we expect a vote next week. Reminder: the bill needs 60 votes to pass, which means Democrats have real leverage here. But they won’t use it unless we force them to.

Atrociously, 7 House Democrats already voted yes on this bill (list here), and Chuck Schumer is not publicly whipping Senate Democrats to unify in opposition. With a vote on this bill coming next week, we need to act fast and be loud:

1️⃣ Call your senators today and demand they vote no on the DHS funding bill. After you call, share our script with your family and friends and encourage them to call too.

2️⃣ Email your senators in opposition to more ICE funding. Calls are more effective than emails, but if you are unable to call or want to call and email, we make it easy to reach your senators instantly.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team


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Phone script

Here's Your Script:

Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [Your City, State].

I’m calling to urge Senator [Name] to refuse to vote for any appropriations bill funding the Department of Homeland Security that fails to rein in ICE.

The killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and are part of a broader pattern of unchecked violence, impunity, and abuse carried out by federal immigration enforcement agencies against our communities.

We can’t wait around while ICE harms more people. Senator [NAME] must push for an appropriations bill that puts serious restrictions on ICE, ends its dragnet raids, and doesn’t add a penny to its already bloated budget.

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Email body


Dear Senator,

I urge you to refuse to vote for any appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security that fails to rein in ICE and Border Patrol and protect our communities.

The killing of Renee Good on January 7 and Alex Pretti on January 24 are devastating examples of what happens when federal immigration enforcement operates without meaningful restrictions. Their deaths are a result of unchecked violence, impunity, and abuse carried out by federal immigration enforcement agencies that put everyday people at risk. You cannot stand by while ICE continues to harm communities across the country.

As a Member of Congress, you have the power to limit the administration's abuse of power by:

• Refusing to vote for any FY2026 appropriations bill that includes increased funding for ICE or Border Patrol, including funds for detention.

• Refusing to vote for any appropriations bill for DHS 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.

Every Member of Congress must insist on real limits and accountability before any funding is approved. I hope to see you standing up for the safety, dignity, and rights of all people in our communities.

[Scrivener7]

1. You rule, usonian. Thank you!