Leadership Conference Opposes FY 2026 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill
A PDF of the letter is available here
January 21, 2026
Dear Member of Congress:
On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition of more than 240 national civil and human rights advocacy organizations, I urge you to oppose the proposed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Appropriations Act for FY 2026. We will include your position on this bill in our voting record for the 119th Congress.
Over the past year, DHS’s operation of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has spun completely out of control. ICE and CBP have become better known for trampling on laws – from the U.S. Constitution on down – than for enforcing them. DHS has jailed legal residents for simply speaking their minds. It sent hundreds of people to be tortured in an El Salvador prison. It breaks into homes without warrants. It violently targets people on the basis of race and ethnicity. It ignores court rulings. And it blocks you from meaningful oversight.
All of this was happening even before Congress gave DHS a staggering extra $170 billion last year. Since then, as shown by the recent murder of Renee Good and the lack of any investigation, ICE and CBP have become even more emboldened. Now, not even U.S. citizens are safe. ICE is even detaining local police officers on the basis of race. Vice President J.D. Vance recently said ICE will soon be conducting “door to door” operations. And DHS Secretary Kristi Noem warned citizens to carry proof.
In the midst of massive civil and human rights abuses, the FY 2026 DHS funding bill would give ICE even more funding in some areas, including $400 million more for detention and $370 million more for Enforcement and Removal Operations, than it got in FY 2025. The $1.8 billion cut to CBP means little when Congress gave it an extra $70 billion last year. The only supposed reforms in the bill – funding body-worn cameras, additional training, and DHS-led oversight of detention facilities – effectively rely on the honor system.
Congress should not give DHS another dime of taxpayer money until ICE and CBP are overhauled and brought under control of Congress, the courts, and the Constitution. In the absence of that, we urge you to oppose this bill. If you have any questions, please contact Rob Randhava, Senior Counsel, at [email protected].
Sincerely,
Maya Wiley
President and CEO