The Dam is Breaking on ICE

Here's how to keep the pressure on

This week we’ve seen tremendous political momentum growing against Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In the wake of the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday, calls have grown louder within both parties for ICE agents and administration officials to be held accountable. Here’s where things stand, and what you can do next to get involved.

After harsh criticism and overwhelming pressure from constituents, Democrats in Congress have withdrawn their support from a package of six pending government spending bills, one of which would fund the Department of Homeland Security, with funding included for ICE. House Democrats who voted for the spending bill last week before Pretti’s killing have now begun to express regrets, and Senate Democrats have said they won’t support any spending bill that includes money for ICE. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona has gone a step further and said he’ll only vote for the bill if President Trump fires Stephen Miller, who is widely reported to be the mastermind behind the aggressive and lethal immigration enforcement tactics in Minneapolis and elsewhere.

You, and the rest of our community have alone made more than 67,000 calls in just two days, with more people calling their senators every minute. If you haven’t called yet, click below to add yourself to the groundswell of people calling for reform and accountability.

The Senate is slated to vote on the funding bill today, as the January 30 deadline to avoid a government shutdown looms.

In addition to legislative pressure, there’s growing talk of a nationwide consumer shutdown in protest of the brutality and killings by ICE and Border Patrol, which in 2026 have included not only Pretti, but Renée Nicole Good, Silverio Villegas González, and Keith Porter Jr. The National Shutdown has been endorsed by several grassroots organizations, including immigrant rights advocacy groups, branches of the ACLU, and others. The call is for a nationwide general strike, meaning adults would not attend work, children would not attend school, and no one would participate in any shopping.

In the meantime, numerous governmental agencies have launched investigations into ICE’s misconduct, including Customs and Border Patrol’s Office of Professional Responsibility, DHS Homeland Security Investigations, the DHS Office of Inspector General, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office.

We’re seeing in real time how public pressure can make a difference.