It is imperative to call and email our senators and members of Congress as they negotiate conditions for funding ICE and CBP. You can reach them at (202) 224-3121.
Have a short script ready. This will be mine, starting with thanking my otherwise weak-willed senators for taking principled action in severing ICE/CBP funding from the rest of the government appropriations bill in order to rein in their unchecked abuses.
Thanks for taking a stand for democracy, your votes are crucial and I greatly appreciate you holding the line in negotiations over reforms of ICE and CBP.
ICE and CBP have been deployed to cities under a false national emergency in an attempt to violently provoke a violent response from citizens. They should not be armed for anti-riot duty as though facing an insurgency in Fallujah — they have faced zero violence, in spite of their constant violent provocations including cold blooded murder.
At minimum, they must not be allowed to conceal their identities and must be placed under the jurisdiction of local law enforcement. They must not be armed with assault rifles, tear gas, pepper spray and green gas — a chemical weapon illegal under international law. Do everything possible to restrict the ability of these armed goons to gas children, smash car windows, break into homes, schools and churches, and murder law abiding civilians with impunity.
Stand strong against this brazen, lawless assault on our democracy!
And for my follow-up email:
A federal judge had to order this the other day, after massive ICE gassing (the plume of chemical irritant was visible from a mile away) of a peaceful crowd in Portland:
“In a well-functioning constitutional democratic republic, free speech, courageous newsgathering, and nonviolent protest are all permitted, respected, and even celebrated. In an authoritarian regime, that is not the case. Our nation is now at a crossroads,” he wrote.
Federal agents are restricted under the order from using chemical or projectile munitions unless the target of such weapons “poses an imminent threat of physical harm to a law enforcement officer or other person.”
Agents are not allowed to deploy munitions at the head, neck, or torso of any person, “unless the officer is legally justified in using deadly force against that person.” And agents are restricted from deploying munitions if doing so would “endanger any other individual who does not pose an imminent threat of physical harm to a law enforcement officer or other person.”
For help understanding the stakes and preparing your message, read this from Indivisible.
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