Tell your Member of Congress to cosponsor H.R.7190, the Melt ICE Act, introduced by Representative Ramirez and Representative Clarke. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operates a sprawling network of more than 200 immigrant detention facilities, including local jails, state and federal prisons, tent cities, and military bases across the country, that arbitrarily detain tens of thousands of people every day in inhumane and punitive conditions. ICE subjects people to unconscionable conditions, including medical neglect, overcrowding, horrendous conditions of confinement, and rampant transfers that disappear people into the detention system, sowing confusion and cutting people off from their loved ones and support networks.

This bill would remove all of ICE’s authority to detain immigrants, terminate all existing immigration detention contracts within two years of enactment, and prevent the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from entering into any new contracts with any entity for facilities to detain immigrants. This Act would also redirect money away from taxpayer-funded violations of our civil rights and human dignity and toward investments in services, housing, infrastructure, food, and health care, including wraparound services for impacted communities across the country. This is critical for the well-being of immigrants going through their immigration process.