40+ tech & justice organizations call on Congress to vote NO on funding for ICE’s multi-billion dollar panopticon and to abolish the agency

Citing extraordinary abuse of power and of surveillance technologies, a coalition of over 40 tech and justice organizations has issued an urgent letter calling on Congress to vote NO on all funding for the Department of Homeland Security until its ICE agency is abolished.

The letter reads in part:

“We urge you to do everything within your power in order to block ICE’s reign of terror in our communities and halt the build out of surveillance tech infrastructure that will make it impossible for everyday people to do anything at all without Big Brother watching. Milquetoast calls for better identification, bodycams, and training fall far short of what is required of you to meet this moment.”

The full letter and signatory list is available at https://www.fightforthefuture.org/news/2026-01-19-congressional-letter-defund-ice-surveillance-now/

Signatories to the letter include a broad selection of tech justice and human rights organizations, including Presente.org, 18 Million Rising, Muslims for Just Futures, Access Now, Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, and UltraViolet Action.

Lia Holland (they/she), Campaigns and Communications Director at Fight For The Future, which organized the letter, said: “The conduct of DHS and ICE Agents in the streets of Minneapolis is a preview of the tech-supercharged oppression that we will all face if ICE is allowed billions to build a panopticon. They are already using personal data to intimidate witnesses and deploying warrantless surveillance dragnets across communities. What will these goons do with weapons-enabled drones and real-time facial recognition behind every Flock camera and Amazon Ring doorbell? Let’s never find out.”