Civil Rights and Faith Leaders Urge Congress to Act after ProPublica Exposes Abuses in Immigration and Federal Law Enforcement

Investigation reveals serious misconduct and underscores urgent need for Congress to restore transparency, accountability and the rule of law.  

WASHINGTON, DC —A ProPublica investigation has revealed that more than 170 U.S. citizens, including children, were wrongfully detained by immigration agents, with some reporting being kicked, dragged or held for days without access to legal counsel. The reporting found that the federal government keeps no official record of how often these detentions occur, underscoring the lack of transparency and accountability in current immigration enforcement practices and potential due process violations.

In response to these alarming findings and the broader pattern of executive government overreach, UnidosUS and 23 leading civil rights, faith and advocacy organizations call on Congress to urgently act to restore oversight and accountability to keep everyone in our communities safe and to preserve the civil rights of every American.  

“These findings demonstrate exactly why Congress must act on the immigration accountability reforms that UnidosUS and a coalition of Latino civil rights and advocacy organizations have proposed. Additionally, these abuses highlight the broader concern — raised by a multiracial coalition of civil rights and civil liberties groups — about the misuse of federal authority and the need for Congress to reassert its oversight role, including prohibiting unlawful military deployments in U.S. cities.                                

“We commend U.S. Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA-42), Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee, and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Ranking Member of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, who have announced a hearing in Los Angeles to perform critical oversight efforts and hold the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and federal officials accountable for abuses of power. Recent actions, including requests from Congressional members on the House Homeland Security Committee requesting DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s testimony on abuses of power and a joint letter from House Judiciary and Oversight Committee members to the White House, DHS, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) calling for a cessation of militarized raids in Chicago, are important first steps that must now lead to action. 

“Congressional leadership should heed these and other calls for accountability and ensure that Congress fully exercise its constitutional oversight authority to restore transparency, protect civil rights and uphold the rule of law so that no citizen, whether individual, child or family, is ever wrongfully detained again.”  

The coalition urges Congress to legislate reforms that would create real safeguards to prohibit the abuses exposed by the ProPublica investigation and restore transparency and accountability in immigration and federal law enforcement, including:  

• Guaranteeing due process and access to counsel for detained individuals;  

• Mandating body cameras for federal agents and public access to the footage;  

• Strengthening oversight of DHS enforcement programs, including the 287(g) agreements that delegate immigration authority to local law enforcement);   

• Prohibiting the detention of pregnant, postpartum and nursing individuals;  

• Prohibiting the misuse of military resources for immigration or routine law enforcement activities in U.S. cities, including deployment of the National Guard under Title 10 or Title 32 authority; and   

• Providing victims of excessive force by federal officials — including actions that violate the Fourth Amendment or other rights —a more effective means of seeking remedies in federal courts. 

The signatory organizations are:   

In late September, UnidosUS led two coalitions in sending letters to Congress urging immediate action: one calling for an end to the unlawful deployment of military forces in U.S. cities, and another urging lawmakers to adopt critical amendments in the upcoming Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bills to restore accountability in immigration enforcement, protect families and ensure immigration enforcement upholds constitutional rights and due process. 

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