February 03, 2026

Casten Opposes Funding Bill Due To Lack of ICE Reforms

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Congressman Sean Casten (IL-06) voted against H.R. 7148, Consolidated Appropriations Act 2026, and released the following statement:

“I voted against the funding package considered by the House today because it failed to include guardrails to prevent the further murder of Americans, ensure due process, or address the catastrophic failures by Kristi Noem and the Department of Homeland Security.

“This is not a vote I take lightly. I hold sacred Congress’s constitutional responsibility to fund the government. But we also have a duty to ensure appropriations pursue the interests of the American people. I could not support a bill that fails to exercise Congress’s power of the purse over an out-of-control Executive Branch agency.

“Americans have watched the tragic killings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis by federal immigration agents and the abuse of power in communities, including Chicago, throughout the country. Congress cannot write a blank check for enforcement without accountability.

“The Department of Homeland Security, and ICE specifically, is in need of serious reform, including, among others, the following conditions:

  1. Rescission of the $75 billion funding increase for ICE in the Big Ugly Bill

  2. Mandated body cameras for all immigration enforcement agents

  3. End the anonymity of federal agents — they must remove their masks and display identification

  4. No more arrests without judicial warrants

  5. Independent investigations when agents break the law

  6. Removal of Kristi Noem as Secretary of Homeland Security

“The rot within ICE runs deep, but it starts at the top. Kristi Noem has failed. The American people deserve better.”

###