To the Journal editor:

Many thanks to our two U.S. Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin, for voting down the budget package (recently) that gave more money to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S.Customs and Border Patrol and that did not add critical restrictions to those two agencies.

The other five of six budgets were voted on separately and have been passed, so the rest of the government will be funded for the remainder of the year.

The Department of Homeland Security budget, which includes funding for ICE and CBP, was given a two week extension and will be voted on again by February 13th.

Please keep up the pressure on our members of congress: U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin, and U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, to insist on restrictions that will protect people in this country from the deadly and destructive actions by these two agencies.

Please call or email their offices this week and demand that the new DHS funding bill includes much needed conditions, such as it:

1) Bans arrests and home entry without a judicial warrant

2) Restricts ICE and CBP’s ability to target people based on their race, language or accent, place of employment or location at the time of apprehension

3) Prevents ICE and CBP enforcement at designated sensitive locations such as houses of worship, schools, hospitals, and polling locations

4) Returns the Border Patrol to the borders and removes them from Minneapolis and other communities

5) Ends the use of deadly force and detention and deportation of U.S. citizens and lawfully present immigrants

6) Requires agents to be unmasked and properly identified and vetted, and that they undergo rigorous training, not the current 47 day training

7) Adds NO additional funding for ICE and CBP and bans the transfer of funds from other agencies into funding for ICE and CBP

U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman: 202-225-4735

U.S. Sen. Gary Peters: 202-224-6221

U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin: 202-224-4822

Thank you for any efforts you take to try to protect people from the assault happening in our country.