Abolish ICE: NAACP Demands the Removal of Funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Greater Accountability
WHEREAS, the U.S. Constitution is a foundational document enumerating the rights of citizens and non-citizens within the United States; and
WHEREAS, civic engagement, the right to petition the government, and peacefully protest are constitutionally protected activity; and
WHEREAS, on July 1, 2025, the U.S. Senate passed an unprecedented increase to the budget for immigration detention and enforcement while simultaneously taking healthcare and social supports from millions of Americans; and
WHEREAS, congressional reports and analyses reflect that the budget bill contained taxpayer funded earmarks of $170 billion for immigration matters and border enforcement including:
- $45 billion for new immigration detention centers;
- $29.9 billion for enforcement and deportation operations – a three-fold increase against current funding levels;
- $46.6 billion for border wall construction;
- $10 billion for "undefined costs', establishing a fund lacking congressional oversight; and
WHEREAS, multiple reports indicate the misuse of this taxpayer-funded budget increase including contracts with private prisons, payments and renditions to foreign governments for detention, and signing bonuses of $50,000, increasing the ranks of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from 10,000 to 22,000 between July 2025 and January 2026; and
WHEREAS, immigration enforcement and removal have transformed ICE into a massive, weaponized national law enforcement presence under the direction of the Executive Branch with no citizen or congressional accountability that is bigger than the military expenditures of all but 15 foreign governments, as reported by "Newsweek"; and
WHEREAS, detentions of U.S. citizens are not comprehensively tracked by the U.S. government but more than 170 U.S. citizens are known to have been held by immigration agents with 70,805 people in detention as of December 2025 as reported by ProPublica and USA Facts – a 73.5% increase from 2025, and among the detainees are women, children, infants, and elderly persons; and
WHEREAS, ICE agents have shown a dangerous lack of training and disregard for civil and human rights. At least 38 people have died in ICE detention as reported by media. Gun violence data identify 20 incidents in which immigration agents opened fire on crowds; 36 incidents in which agents held protesters and bystanders at gunpoint; at least four people have been shot while observing or documenting raids; five people have been shot while driving away from traffic stops; and five people have been killed by ICE agents in gun-related incidents as reported by "The Trace" on January 27, 2026.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People calls on the U.S. Senate to remove and reallocate any funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement which shall include removing funds for hiring additional agents, deportation, detention, border wall construction, renditions, transportation, payments to foreign governments, and undesignated funding in the fiscal year 2026 – 2028 funding cycles; and reallocating these funds to healthcare and social supports; and
THEREFORE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People calls for transparency and accountability reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement that shall include:
- Ending qualified immunity for federal ICE agents;
- The removal or impeachment of Secretary Kristi Noem;
- An end to local and federal law enforcement cooperation on immigration with ICE engagement permitted only with the assent of local governments;
- Enhanced training for ICE agents on civil and human rights, and de-escalation tactics
THEREFORE BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People demands that, immediately, existing ICE agents be required to pass criminal background checks, drug tests, and shall be forbidden from wearing face coverings or masks of any type.