LWVUS joined immigrants' rights advocates in opposing any funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol (BP) in Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations.
Dear Members of Congress:
We write to strongly oppose any funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol (BP) in Fiscal Year 2027 appropriations. At a time when families are struggling to afford basic necessities, Congress must reject further investments of taxpayer dollars in a detention and deportation apparatus that is already better funded than most militaries, harms communities, and operates without accountability. Congress must take measures to restrict funding for these abusive agencies and redirect taxpayer dollars towards community needs.
This Congress has provided unprecedented resources to immigration enforcement agencies. Between the FY 2025 and FY 2026 reconciliation bills, ICE and BP have received the equivalent of nearly eight years of typical annual appropriations — all in less than a single year. These massive infusions of taxpayer dollars have come at the expense of critical investments in health care, nutrition assistance, and other basic needs, while further entrenching a system defined by unaccountable flouting of court orders, rising deaths in detention, and family separation.
Congress cannot justify providing additional discretionary funding in FY 2027 when these agencies have already received historic, unchecked funding through reconciliation and continue to violate basic civil and human rights. In fact, Republican leaders repeatedly stated the intent of the 2026 reconciliation bill was to fund these agencies for the next three years.
In addition to withholding additional funding, Congress must use this funding cycle to redirect taxpayer funds back towards health care and human needs. It is also imperative for Congress to ensure that the FY 2027 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill extends oversight and administrative provisions from past fiscal years’ bills and accompanying reports to apply to all sources of agency funds, including the previous two reconciliation bills. These critical provisions include data reporting requirements, standards of care and treatment for people in detention and custody, and ensuring Members of Congress’ unfettered ability to conduct oversight at DHS facilities. Congress must further enact policies and restrict funding to stop ICE and BP abuses, such as those proposed in the wake of the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good.
In sum, we urge Congress to:
- Provide no funding for ICE and Border Patrol in FY 2027 appropriations;
- Extend and apply all appropriations accountability and oversight provisions included in previous DHS bills to funding provided through reconciliation legislation;
- Redirect taxpayer dollars away from the bloated budgets of ICE and Border Patrol to fund health care and human needs;
- Adopt additional oversight and accountability measures that require ICE and CBP to meet basic civil rights, legal compliance, and transparency standards; and
- Restrict the use of funds for further ICE detention expansion, including the use of funds to construct or renovate warehouse detention facilities.
The American people deserve a federal budget that prioritizes health, safety, and economic security, not one that continues to funnel billions into a system that separates families, undermines public trust, and operates without accountability. We urge all Members to reject any FY 2027 appropriations bills that fail to meet these basic standards.
Sincerely,
National Groups
ACLU
A New PATH (Parents for Addiction Treatment & Healing)
African Communities Together
Alianza Americas
Alliance of Baptists
American Atheists
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
American Immigration Council
Americans for Democratic Action (ADA)
Americans for Tax Fairness
Amnesty International USA
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC
Association of Nurses in AIDS Care
Autistic People of Color Fund
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Black Alliance for Just Immigration
Care in Action
Center for Gender & Refugee Studies
Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law
Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP)
Center for Progressive Reform
Center for Victims of Torture
CenterLink
Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM)
Children's HealthWatch
Church World Service
Civic Empowerment Coalition
Coalition on Human Needs
Collective Freedom
Communities United for Status & Protection (CUSP)
Community Change Action
Democracy Power Project
Detention Watch Network
Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund
Doctors for Camp Closure
Drug Policy Alliance
Economic Policy Institute
Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)
Feminist Generation
First Focus Campaign for Children
Fourth Branch Action
Free Migration Project
Free Speech For People
Freedom for Immigrants (FFI)
Freedom Network USA
Global EXchange
Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees
Haitian Bridge Alliance
Hands United
Health Care for America Now (HCAN)
HIAS
Hispanic Federation
Human Rights First
Humanitarian Outreach for Migrant Emotional Health (H.O.M.E.)
Immigrant Defense Project
Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC)
Immigration Equality Action Fund
Impact Fund
Income Movement
Indivisible
Institute for Policy Studies, National Priorities Project
International Refugee Assistance Project
Japanese American Citizens League
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Jobs with Justice
Just Detention International
Justice + Joy National Collaborative
Justice in Aging
Justice in Motion
Lawyers for Good Government
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
League of Women Voters of the United States
Local Progress
Make the Road States
mBOLDen Change
Mennonite Central Committee U.S.
Migrant Support Collective
Mobile Pathways
MPower Change Action Fund
Muslim Advocates
National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum
National Council of Jewish Women
National Education Association
National Health Care for the Homeless Council
National Health Law Program
National Immigrant Justice Center
National Immigration Law Center
National Immigration Project
National Korean American Service and Education Consortium
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
National Low Income Housing Coalition
National Network For Immigrant and Refugee Rights
National Organization for Women
National Parents Union
National Partnership for New Americans
National Working Positive Coalition
Never Again Action
New Disabled South
New York Immigration Coalition
Nonprofit Professional Employees Union, IFPTE Local 70
Partners for Dignity & Rights
People Power United
People's Action Institute
Popular Democracy
Positive Women's Network-USA
Presente.org
Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK)
Public Citizen
Public Counsel
Refugee Advocacy Lab
Refugee Council USA
Refugees International
Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center
Rogan's List
Sexual Violence Prevention Association (SVPA)
Southeast Asia Resource Action Center (SEARAC)
Southern Border Communities Coalition
Spokane VFP#035
Stop AAPI Hate
The Alliance for Diplomacy and Justice
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
Unitarian Universalist Association
Unitarian Universalists for Social Justice
United We Dream Network
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
Vera Institute of Justice
Victory Karate
Voto Latino
Water Protector Legal Collective
Western States Center
Witness at the Border
Yankee National Party
State Groups
AAPI Equity Alliance
AAPI NJ
ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE
AIDS Foundation Chicago
Alliance for Boys and Men of Color (ABMoC)
Alliance to Mobilize Our Resistance
Asian American Advocacy Fund
Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL)
Asian Law Alliance
Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network, Massachusetts
Asians for Collective Action
Asians for Collective Liberation in Spokane
Asylum Program of Ary
Atlantic City Indivisible: Empathy United
Austin Refugee Help
AVAN Immigrant Services (Adelanto Visitation & Advocacy Network)
Ayuda
Battle Born Progress
Beloved Survivors Trauma Recovery Center
Beyond Survival
Bilbao Law
Borderlands Resource Initiative
Boston Teachers Union
Brazilian Women's Group
CA Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative
California Partnership to End Domestic violence
Californians United for a Responsible Budget
Casa Freehold
Center for Empowering Refugees & Immigrants
Central American Resource Center CARECEN of Northern California
Central New Hampshire Indivisible
Chacón Center for Immigrant Justice at MD Carey Law
Change Begins With ME Indivisible
Chicago Women Take Action
Children's Defense Fund-Texas
Chinese for Affirmative Action
Clery Member - Episcopal Diocese of NY
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
Colorado Immigrant Rights Coalition (CIRC)
Congregation Action Network
Connecticut Voices for Children
coosnhindivisible@gmail
Courage California
CRLA Foundation
CT Shoreline Indivisible
Detention Watch Network
Diversity in Health
Domestic Violence Solutions for Santa Barbara County
Dream Project, Inc.
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant
El Centro de la Raza
El Movimiento DFW
El Pueblo
End Child Poverty CA
End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin
Episcopal Diocese of Rochester
Equality California
Faith Action Network
Faith in New Jersey
Families for Freedom
Farm Worker Ministry Northwest
First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Houston
Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project
Florida Immigrant Coalition
Friends of International Friendship Pari
Glide Foundation
Grassroots Leadership
Greater New Haven Indivisible
Greater Westville Indivisible
Hinenu Baltimore
House of Ruth, Inc.
Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative
Hyattsville Mennonite Church
Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence
Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef)
Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project (Maine)
India Home inc
Indivisible Fairfield County
Indivisible Huron Valley
Indivisible Marin
Indivisible North Central CT
Indivisible Prince George's county
Indivisible Sacramento
Indivisible San Jose
Indivisible SF
Indivisible Small & Mighty
Indivisible Westside Los Angeles
Japanese American Social Services, Inc.
Jewish Voice for Peace VT NH
KCSC
Keene Rally Coalition
Kino Border Initiative
KIWA
La Defensa
Latino Policy Forum
LCLAA PNW
Legal Aid Association of CA
Legal Council for Health Justice
Legal Key Partnership for Health and Justice
Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants
Maine People's Alliance
Make The Road Connecticut
Make the Road New Jersey
Make the Road Pennsylvania
Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence
Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition
Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Mekong NYC
Miami Valley Immigration Coalition
Michigan Immigrant Rights Center
Minnesota Interfaith Coalition on Immigration (ICOM)
Mobilize the Vote NEO
Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice
Muslim Community Network (MCN)
National Lawyers Guild Bay Area Chapter
NC Climate Justice Collective
Nebraska Appleseed
New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice
New Jersey Consortium for Immigrant Children
NM Dream Team
No Detention Centers in Michigan
NorCal Resist
Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA)
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Oaklaw Law Collaborative
Oasis Legal Services
Ohio Immigrant Alliance
Ohio Progressive Action Leaders
OneAmerica
OPAWL - Building AAPI Feminist Leadership
ORALEl Organizing Rooted in Abolition, Liberation, and Empowerment
Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition
Praxis Health Empowerment
Proyecto Faro
Refugee Support Network, RSN
SBResiste
Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN)
Silver State Equality
Southern New Hampshire Indivisible
Southwest Suburban Immigrant Project
Statewide Indivisible MIchigan
Students’ Civil Liberties Union
Sur Legal Collaborative
SURJ Northern Virginia
SURJ NYC
Tahirih Justice Center
Texas Unitarian Universalist Justice Ministry (TXUUJM))
The Episcopal Diocese of New York
The Green Valley/Sahuarita Samaritans
The Other Side Association
The Red Heron Patty (RHP)
Thrive Alabama
Trenton Makes Indivisible
Unitarian Universalist Massachusetts Action
United Latino Voices of Contra Costa County
UnLocal
Vista Rise Collective
W.O.M.A.N., Inc.
Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network
WESPAC Foundation, Inc.
Wild Iris Family Counseling & Crisis Center
Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault
YWCA Golden Gate Silicon Valley