Leadership Conference Letter Opposing S. 2, Mass Deportation Funding Bill

A PDF copy of this letter can be found here

June 8, 2026

Dear Representative:

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 S. 2, the reconciliation bill that gives more than $70 billion in additional, needless funds for the administration’s mass deportation machine. We will include your position on this bill in our voting record for the 119th Congress.

Since last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have 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. This administration jails legal residents for simply speaking their minds. It sends 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. It warehouses people in inhumane conditions, where dozens have died in ICE custody. And it blocks you from conducting meaningful oversight.

All of this was happening even before Congress gave the administration a staggering extra $170 billion for mass deportation last year. Since then, as most notably shown by the unpunished murders of four U.S. citizens, ICE and CBP have become even more emboldened. ICE has even detained local police officers on the basis of race. Vice President J.D. Vance threatened that ICE would conduct “door to door” operations. Secretary Markwayne Mullin may currently be taking a lower-profile approach than his predecessor, but he has done nothing to address underlying conditions or hold anyone accountable.

In the midst of massive civil and human rights abuses, S. 2 would only further shield ICE and CBP from accountability well into the future. Meanwhile, the bill does nothing to make food or fuel more affordable. It does nothing to improve our schools or health care. And it does nothing to block this administration’s corrupt $1.7 billion slush fund to reward January 6 rioters and other personal allies of the president.

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