Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

Despite a republican majority in both chambers of Congress, Washington Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-7) continues to put forth legislation to combat the Trump regime’s dangerous orders. On July 16, she introduced the Stop ICE from Kidnapping U.S. Citizens Act to the House, but not long after, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) launched a whopping $45 billion initiative it’s referring to as the “Detention Support Grant Program,” to further expand ICE’s violent activities.

“ICE is acting like a rogue force, kidnapping and disappearing people off the streets with no due process,” Rep. Jayapal said. “When ICE is conducting immigration enforcement, arresting and detaining U.S. citizens is illegal— and deporting U.S. citizens is illegal, full stop. But since Trump took over, ICE has been consistently breaking these laws and going after U.S. citizens, including young children. Congress must act to make it abundantly clear, with absolutely no grey area, that ICE cannot do this and ensure that agents who do act outside of their authority are held accountable.” 

ICE is targeting people of color, regardless of citizen status. In April, ICE deported a mother of a one-year-old child, and three children who are US citizens were deported to Honduras alongside their mothers—including one child who has cancer. In June, a Maryland high school student was separated from their friends and family and deported. 

The Stop ICE from Kidnapping U.S. Citizens Act states that “no Federal funds made available to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may be used, in carrying out any civil immigration enforcement activities under the immigration laws, to detain United States citizens or transport such citizens outside the United States, and for other purposes.” 

The legislation has a total of 39 co-sponsors—all who identify as democrat—including Washington’s Rep. Emily Randall (D-5), representatives Greg Casar (D-35) and Jasmine Crockett (D-30) of Texas, and Michigan’s Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-12). It comes after Trump signed his “Big Beautiful Bill,” into law, which provides $45 billion to ICE to expand “adult alien detention capacity and family residential centers.” 

But the Trump regime is seeking to increase its immigration enforcement response through multiple outlets, most recently through FEMA. Its new $608 million “Detention Support Grant Program” will “support detention activities carried out by non-federal entities and increase the detention capacity of State and local governments,” according to an announcement. The program will provide grants to non-federal “entities to shelter aliens in a detention environment until transfer to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement” to reduce overcrowding and further immigration enforcement plans.