“Not one more dollar to ICE until we protect our children,” he says
In response to the Senate’s adoption of a budget resolution to fund the Department of Homeland Security, First Focus Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley released the following statement:
“Last night, the Senate adopted a FY2026 Budget Resolution by a vote of 50-48, which included budget reconciliation instructions of up to $70 billion in spending for the Judiciary Committee and up to $70 billion in spending for the Homeland Security/Government Affairs Committee for an agency that over the last year has traumatized children and families across the country. And they did it by using a legislative tactic that lets them avoid making any reforms at all. These lawmakers will allow the Department of Homeland Security to continue operating without any congressional oversight, without any accountability at all. No guardrails to keep immigration officials from staking out schools, no safety assurances for playgrounds and doctors’ offices, no prohibition on whisking away pregnant and nursing parents, no end to keeping children, even babies, in detention. How else could we spend that money? Maybe on helping children get medical care. Or a safe and stable home. Or a daily meal. It’s been a long time since children in this country faced so much hardship as their parents struggle to afford gas and groceries and even longer since they’ve been asked to do it while paying for a war.
First Focus Campaign for Children is calling on lawmakers to come to their senses. Not one more dollar to ICE until we protect our children.”
First Focus Campaign for Children and the Coalition on Human Needs recently led 123 other national and local organizations in urging lawmakers to prioritize the safety and well-being of children as they vote on fiscal year 2026 funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Read the letter.