Rep. Pettersen Votes Against $70 Billion Check for Trump’s ICE Operations

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) released the following statement after voting against Republicans' budget reconciliation package that gives $70 billion in funding over three years to a lawless Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Because they didn't have the requisite two-thirds Senate majority to pass this cynical measure, Republicans used the budget reconciliation process, a fast-track legislative procedure that allows certain budget-related measures to pass the Senate with a simple majority vote. Republicans failed to include any meaningful policy reforms to ICE and CBP operations, such as body camera requirements and other accountability measures.

The vote comes amid mounting scrutiny of ICE operations nationwide. This year alone, ICE and CBP operations have been linked to the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Questions have also been raised regarding transparency, use of force, conditions in detention facilities, due process protections, and the agency's treatment of U.S. citizens and individuals in this country legally.

"Republicans are asking taxpayers to write ICE a $70 billion check while refusing to implement any of the commonsense reforms needed to rein in this out-of-control agency - reforms that a vast majority of Americans support.

"We were told that they would target violent criminals, but instead, they are detaining children, deporting legal residents and refugees, and murdering U.S. citizens in cold blood. Now, Republicans are abusing the legislative process to continue Trump's reign of terror on our immigrant community, making ICE the largest federal law enforcement agency in history.

"At a time when Republicans are cutting health care, food assistance, and other programs that working families rely on, they've somehow managed to find $70 billion for an agency that is operating without any accountability. This should tell you everything you need to know about where Trump and Republicans' priorities lie - and it's not with us."

This vote comes after Pettersen helped introduce three pieces of legislation to enact oversight on ICE alongside Representative Joe Neguse (CO-02) and the rest of the Colorado Democratic Delegation. These bills would ensure DHS agents are properly identifiable during immigration enforcement, prohibit ICE and CBP from detaining children or entering sensitive sites such as places of worship, and ensure that the location of detained individuals is readily available to their families. These bills would also bar ICE from converting warehouses, jails, or other facilities into immigration detention centers.

Pettersen has also consistently voted against Donald Trump's anti-immigrant agenda, including opposing over $75 billion in funding for immigration enforcement in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act." She also supports legislation to require DHS and ICE officers to clearly identify themselves during enforcement actions, legislation that would reinstate protections that bar ICE from conducting immigration enforcement in sensitive locations, including churches, schools, hospitals, and non-immigration courts, and has demanded accountability from DHS.