January 19. 2026
To the Honorable Scott Peters, the Honorable Sara Jacobs, the Honorable Juan Vargas, the Honorable Mike Levin, the Honorable Darrell Issa
Dear Representatives:
The combined Leagues of Women Voters of San Diego and of North County San Diego, in solidarity with the national League of Women Voters, urge Congress to exercise its constitutional responsibility to ensure that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol operate within the bounds of law, human dignity, and democratic accountability.
We ask that you use the Article I power of Congress to limit these out of control agencies:
- Refuse to vote for any FY2026 appropriations bill that includes increased funding for ICE or Border Patrol, including funds for detention. The existing system allowed 32 people to die in custody in 2025, the deadliest year ever, while thousands of others suffer physical and sexual abuse, medical neglect, and degrading conditions.
- Refuse to vote for any appropriations bill for DHS beyond January 30 unless it:
- Strengthens restrictions on ICE and Border Patrol’s ability to conduct dragnet arrest operations and target people based on their race, language or accent, place of employment, or location at the time of the apprehension;
- Ends border patrol deployment to our cities and rejects its ever-expanding mandate in immigration enforcement; and
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Limits DHS's reprogramming and transfer authority, including specifically preventing reprogramming and transferring funds for detention.
We also join with the national League of Women Voters to ask for immediate oversight by the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, the Appropriations Committees, and the committees with jurisdiction over homeland security to examine use-of-force policies, training protocols, rules of engagement, supervisory practices, and post-incident accountability mechanisms within the Department of Homeland Security and its component agencies.
As the two Leagues serving San Diego County, we remain deeply committed to a humane, just, transparent, and accountable criminal justice and immigration system.
Jane Andrews Marian Vega Clancy
President, LWV of San Diego President, LWV of North County San Diego