Rep. Sykes Votes No on DHS Bill, Slams House Republicans for Funding ICE Abuse Without Accountability

Rep. Sykes Votes No on DHS Bill, Slams House Republicans for Funding ICE Abuse Without Accountability

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Emilia Sykes (OH-13) voted no on the Fiscal Year 2026 Department of Homeland Security appropriations bill, saying Congress cannot continue to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without real accountability or basic protections against abuse, harassment, and deaths in custody.

"Taxpayer dollars should never be used to terrorize families, endanger U.S. citizens, or shield lawless conduct from consequences," Rep. Sykes said. "What we are seeing from ICE under Kristi Noem and the Trump Administration is a failure of leadership that puts lives at risk and undermines the rule of law."

For weeks, Democrats pushed House Republicans to adopt strong guardrails and accountability measures to ensure ICE operates like every other law enforcement agency in America. These common-sense reforms included a judicial warrant requirement, a prohibition on the detention and deportation of American citizens, restrictions on the use of excessive force, enhanced training requirements, a body camera mandate, and a ban on masks during enforcement actions. House Republicans rejected these protections.

ICE has already received massive funding in prior legislation, including the so-called "Big Beautiful Bill," while the Trump Administration has signaled that the agency should operate with near-total immunity. Under this approach, ICE has aggressively targeted American citizens and law-abiding families, including cases that have resulted in serious injury and death, such as the killing of Renee Nicole Good. The Fiscal Year 2026 DHS bill does little to increase transparency into ICE's operations or to protect U.S. citizens from wrongful detention or deportation.

Rep. Sykes has long supported law enforcement and public safety, but she made clear that funding enforcement practices without accountability undermines civil rights and human dignity.

The bill passed the House and now moves to the Senate for consideration.