BREAKING: 39 U.S. Senators Send Letter to DHS Demanding ICE Reform

Jul 20
2 min read

"We urge an immediate policy change regarding agency branding. To help ensure clear accountability and avoid misleading the public, ICE personnel engaged in interior enforcement must immediately cease wearing tactical gear, vests, or uniforms labeled with the generic term "POLICE" or "POLICE ICE."

July 20, 2026, Following 2 deadly ice involved shootings this past week, in a letter sent today to Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, 39 Senators called for immediate action and reform to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.

The following U.S. Senators signed the letter:

Angus King, Jr.

Charles Schumer

Patty Murray

Richard Durbin

Gary Peters

Alex Padilla

Andy Kim

Ben Ray Lujan

Christopher Coons

Ron Wyden

Jack Reed

Jeanne Shaheen

Margaret Hassan

Jacky Rosen

Ruben Gallego

Adam Schiff

Raphael Warnock

Peter Welch

Richard Blumenthal

Brian Schatz

Tina Smith

Martin Heinrich

Tammy Baldwin

Angela Also brooks

Tim Kaine

Catherine Masto

Mark Kelly

Jeffrey Merkley

Mike Bennet

Sheldon Whitehouse

Mazie Hirono

Lisa Rochester

John Hickenlooper

Chris Hollen

Kirsten Gillibrand

Amy Klobuchar

Mark Warner

Elissa Slotkin

John Fetterman

For transparency, we have attached the letter in it's entirety but want to highlight the "calls to action" made by the Senators - The letter concludes stating the following demands:

"Furthermore, to strengthen public safety and minimize dangerous operational confusion, we urge an immediate policy change regarding agency branding. To help ensure clear accountability and avoid misleading the public, ICE personnel engaged in interior enforcement must immediately cease wearing tactical gear, vests, or uniforms labeled with the generic term "POLICE" or "POLICE ICE." All operational uniforms should explicitly and exclusively identify personnel as "ICE.'" In addition, agents should be required to identify themselves as "ICE" when making arrests and uniforms must clearly be identified as "ICE."

Finally, given the immediate need for administrative accountability following these tragedies, We request detailed information in response to the following questions

1. What is DHS's specific plan to respond to the public's interest in timely, transparent, anc independently verified investigations into these incidents?

2. What are the vetting procedures with respect to new ICE recruits? Does ICE consider records of domestic violence and abuse from family courts in its vetting?

3. What immediate updates or reviews are being made to ICE vehicle pursuit and traffic stop policies, including enhanced training specifically applicable to traffic stops to ensure they prioritize public and officer safety?

4. Beyond the deployment of body-worn cameras, what additional oversight, reporting requirements, or public safety measures is the agency implementing?

We remain supportive of removing dangerous convicted criminals from our communities, but this goal can and must be achieved without endangering these very communities in the process By no stretch could either of the victims in Texas and Maine be characterized as the worst of the worst," making these tragic deaths even more egregious The American people deserve clarity and accountability."

To read the full letter, please view the attached images below: