NLIHC Condemns Use of Deadly Force by Federal Immigration Enforcement and Calls on Congress to Withhold Funds for ICE and CBP

NLIHC condemns the recent use of deadly force by federal immigration enforcement agents, which has sparked widespread outrage and protests across the country. The killings of Keith Porter Jr., Silverio Villegas González, Renée Good, and Alex Pretti demonstrate that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) present an ongoing and imminent threat to the areas where they operate. Moreover, leaked reports that the agencies are conducting warrantless home searches and seizures, targeting immigrants, people of color, and detaining children, provide further evidence that these federal agencies are out of control, threatening family and housing stability and livelihoods. 

NLIHC stands with the families affected by these incidents, as well as with community members and local leaders advocating for justice, de-escalation, and a thorough review of federal enforcement operations. We have joined over 1,000 organizations nationwide, from an array of issue areas, in urging Congress to halt funding for ICE and CBP through the appropriations process and to revoke the funds allocated in last summer’s reconciliation bill. 

On January 22, the House of Representatives passed six appropriations bills, including funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) bill, which supports HUD’s affordable housing, homelessness, and community development programs. Congress has until January 30 to vote on these bills and avoid a partial government shutdown. 

Due to ongoing and widespread concerns about ICE’s actions in vulnerable and marginalized communities, we urge a separate vote on the DHS funding bill and a pause on additional funding for ICE and CBP, as DHS agencies recently received over $170 billion through H.R. 1 (“One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act”). 

Tell Congress: Fund Bipartisan, Bicameral Priorities in the THUD Bill. Use NLIHC’s toolkits and resources to contact your members of Congress and urge them to hold a separate vote on the DHS funding bill, pass THUD, and help ensure continued funding for HUD and other vital federal programs and services.  

NLIHC Calls on Congress to Immediately:   

• Separate the DHS funding bill from remaining FY26 funding currently before the Senate and vote on continued funding for HUD and other vital federal programs and services. 
• Halt all funds for ICE and CBP through the appropriations process until the violence, abuse, and undermining of civil rights stop. 

As a national advocacy organization dedicated to achieving racially and socially just public policy, NLIHC recognizes that ICE and CBP's actions and the rationale officials have provided to defend them all undermine the minimally necessary conditions for just public policy in the areas of affordable housing, income inequality, racial equity, or any other priority. 

We reaffirm that communities cannot thrive when they live in fear of violence from those sworn to protect them. Families cannot make the rent when breadwinners are detained without due process. Homes are not safe and stable while federal agents believe they can ignore Fourth Amendment protections. We join our partners nationwide in advocating for justice, systemic change, and a humane approach to public safety that respects human dignity. 

Thank you for your advocacy!