Indivisibles,

Did you know that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) includes, among all their many insidious qualities, thievery? 

We’re talking about hundreds of millions from agencies serving critical functions under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Last year, ICE took $10 million from FEMA (the agency responsible for coordinating disaster response efforts), right as we were headed into hurricane season -- a decision that’s even more horrifying in light of FEMA’s inability to manage the relief efforts after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

This year, they want even more. Newly released documents show that once again ICE is attempting to raid FEMA, the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration, and many other agencies to compensate for its massive overspending. In fact, DHS has spent over four billion dollars this fiscal year expanding immigration detention just to uphold Trump’s racist border and immigration policies.

And now they’re going after $271 million (including hundreds of millions from FEMA alone) in funding to expand detention beds, implement cruel policies that endanger asylum seekers, and tear children away from their families and homes. 

Our one advantage: it’s out in the open now. ICE is used to backdoor deals and forcing agencies to fund their cruel policies without congressional oversight or activists watching in the wings, but we’ve got some news for them: Indivisibles are watching!

Here are 4 things you can do right now 

1. Take action during our Defund Hate Week of Action (Sept 9-13) to demand Congress cut funding for ICE & CBP and end their ability to steal funds from other agencies in this September's budget fight. Plan or find an event near you!
2. Send a video to put pressure on your House representative. We’ve made it easy: grab your phone and record your message on why ICE and CBP must be brought to heel. Post it on social and tag your Member of Congress. Get your Facebook friends and Twitter followers involved and take control of the narrative.
3. Call your Member of Congress right now and demand that they reject ICE’s attempt to steal money from other agencies. It is unacceptable that ICE is subverting Congress’s authority to decide how much funding they should receive. We’ll give you a script and connect you directly with your representative’s office.
4. Text "Defund Hate" to 977-79. We’ll send you the latest updates on our plan for the Week of Action, and we’ll let you know when events are registered near you.

This unethical money grab is further proof that this administration is choosing to uphold a white supremacist agenda designed to inflict harm on immigrant communities and asylum seekers. The administration is feeling the pressure from the Defund Hate coalition and it’s important now more than ever that we stand united to defund agencies like ICE and CBP.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team