Not another dime for ICE

The U.S. Senate refused to fund the Department of Homeland Security last week, and we support that decision. Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper stood their ground and voted the right way, just before the Friday midnight funding deadline.

As an organization, we are clear on our position. Not another dime for ICE. Not now. Not later.

Even during this partial shutdown, ICE has not slowed down. We have confirmed the first ICE arrest in Eagle County during this partial shutdown. That tells you everything. ICE continues operating at full speed because it already received tens of billions in prior funding.

This is not a resource problem. It is an accountability problem.

We are not against funding essential public safety functions. FEMA should be funded. Disaster response should never be collateral damage in political fights — even if the Trump administration denies Colorado’s emergency requests for political reasons. Airport security and other core DHS functions can and should be funded.

But not ICE.

Constitutional rights, due process, transparency, and accountability are not negotiating points. They are baseline standards every law enforcement agency should follow. The fact that these principles even have to be debated tells us how far ICE has drifted from public trust.

Polling has consistently shown that more Americans view ICE unfavorably than favorably. The agency has lost the confidence of the American people.

We would rather see a department remain partially shut down than continue funding an enforcement apparatus that keeps expanding while eroding civil liberties.

Not another dime for ICE.