League of Women Voters Condemns Passage of Reconciliation Package Expanding Unchecked Immigration Enforcement Funding

WASHINGTON — The League of Women Voters issued the following statement on Congressional passage of funding for immigration enforcement agencies:  

"The League of Women Voters strongly condemns Congress’s passage of the budget reconciliation package, which pours billions of additional taxpayer dollars into US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) without installing critical guardrails for accountability, transparency, or civil liberties protections. This violates constitutional protections, including the right to due process and First Amendment freedoms.  

"By forcing this massive expansion through a fast-tracked budget process, Congress has actively sidestepped public debate and shielded these agencies from necessary oversight. This decision ignores the clear calls from communities nationwide demanding a fair, humane, and effective immigration system. 

"As we bear testament to the ongoing abuses from ICE and CPB, most recently the crisis unfolding at Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center—where hundreds of detainees have launched hunger strikes over deplorable conditions, and federal agents have reportedly met civilian protesters and lawmakers with chemical irritants and violence—we are starkly reminded of the immediate dangers posed by expanding an unaccountable system. 

"The League has consistently opposed additional funding for ICE and CBP absent enforceable oversight and accountability measures. Immigration policy must reflect our nation's core democratic values, uphold due process, and protect human dignity. By passing this bill, Congress shirks its responsibility to impose enforceable oversight, transparency requirements, and accountability measures on immigration officials.  

"While this bill has passed, the League’s commitment to justice has not wavered. We will continue to stand alongside frontline advocates, monitor the fallout of this unchecked spending, and relentlessly demand that our government protect the civil liberties of all communities."

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