National Civil Rights and Latino Leaders Demand Congressional Accountability for Escalating Federal Abuse and Executive Overreach
Ahead of MLK Jr. Day, leaders convene at the one-year mark of the Trump administration amid affordability concerns and renewed civil rights focus following events in Minneapolis
WASHINGTON, DC — Today, a coalition of national civil rights, faith and Latino advocacy organizations led by UnidosUS held a virtual press conference demanding the U.S. Congress take immediate action to rein in heinous and excessive immigration enforcement practices that are eroding constitutional protections, undermining public safety and harming communities across the country. This press call followed a joint letter signed by 74 national, state and local organizations across the country also calling on the U.S. Congress to exercise its constitutional oversight role.
During the press conference held ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, national advocates cited growing concerns following the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a mother and U.S. citizen, in Minneapolis, as well as the numerous accounts of indiscriminate abuse and unwarranted deaths seen in other states couched under the guise of federal immigration enforcement operations.
In the joint letter addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), the civil right leaders called on Congress to “enact clear, enforceable guardrails that protect constitutional rights, ensure transparency, and curb the abuse of power we see daily across the country.”
As the Trump administration approaches one year in office, the coalition emphasized that Congress has the authority and responsibility to reject unchecked funding for immigration enforcement, warning that last summer’s legislation provided the administration with unprecedented resources, including $170 billion and 10,000 additional ICE agents. This has fueled abuses of power and the weaponization of a broken immigration system, outcomes that could be repeated without meaningful guardrails and oversight.
Leaders also warned that the expansion of detention, surveillance and unaccountable enforcement, paired with inadequate training and oversight, has predictably resulted in fear, racial profiling, due process violations, wrongful detention of U.S. citizens, unsafe detention conditions and expanded surveillance practices that endanger civil liberties.
National civil rights organizations called on Congress to exercise its constitutional oversight authority and include enforceable guardrails in legislation and in FY 2026 appropriations to rein in abuses of power and protect communities:
· Congress Should Respond to Unlawful Use of the Military: Prohibit the domestic deployment of military personnel or resources for immigration enforcement or policing, reaffirming long-standing limits on military involvement in civilian law enforcement.
· Protect Communities from Misuse of Power: Ban masked federal agents and require clear identification and body cameras; codify sensitive-location protections for schools, hospitals, courts and places of worship; suspend 287(g) agreements until independent oversight is in place; and ensure arrests and detentions are properly documented and legally authorized.
· Restore Due Process: Require judicial warrants for all arrests and detentions, transparent reporting and independent investigations into deaths or wrongful detentions, access to legal counsel and family for detained individuals, and prohibitions on mass detention, dragnet surveillance, and the use of non-immigration data for enforcement purposes.
The organizations stressed that these reforms should apply nationwide and are intended to protect the constitutional rights and safety of all communities while reinforcing Congress’s role in providing oversight of federal immigration enforcement.
Organizations that joined the press call and signed onto the letter include:
Aquí: The Accountability Movement
Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP)
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