More than 1,000 Oklahomans have signed onto a statewide letter calling on Oklahoma’s congressional delegation to vote against any additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), citing growing concerns over federal overreach, constitutional violations, and violence against community members.
The letter, signed by residents from across Oklahoma along with hundreds of supporters nationwide, presents the moment as a moral challenge for elected officials, urging them to oppose increased funding amidst what signatories describe as the “ongoing occupation of U.S. cities” and the rising use of force by federal immigration authorities.
Who the Letter Targets
The demands are directed at Oklahoma’s entire congressional delegation, including Sens. James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin, along with Reps. Stephanie Bice, Josh Brecheen, Tom Cole, Kevin Hern, and Frank Lucas.
Organizers say the letter shows widespread concern about ICE and DHS actions over the past year, especially tactics they believe have become more aggressive, indiscriminate, and disconnected from constitutional protections.
“Over the course of the last year, America has watched as ICE has continued to unleash increasingly undisciplined, violent, and indiscriminate tactics of intimidation and force against communities throughout our country,” the letter states.
Signatories cite numerous documented incidents, including children being separated from their parents, aggressive arrests involving teenagers, and the detention of U.S. citizens and legal residents without clear justification. The letter also expresses concern over the use of masked and unidentified federal agents conducting arrests, which critics argue undermines accountability and violates civil liberties.
Allegations of Abuse and Deaths in Custody
The call to action occurs as Congress discusses fiscal year 2026 appropriations, including funding for immigration enforcement agencies.
According to the letter, ICE detention facilities recorded 32 deaths in custody in 2025 alone—making it the agency’s deadliest year in over twenty years. Advocates argue that these deaths are not isolated incidents but result from a system marked by medical neglect, physical abuse, sexual violence, and inhumane detention conditions.
What Signatories Are Demanding
The letter outlines two core demands.
First, signatories call on Oklahoma lawmakers to oppose any FY2026 appropriations bill that increases funding for ICE or U.S. Border Patrol, including money for immigration detention.
Second, they urge lawmakers to reject any DHS funding extension beyond January 30 unless it includes strict limits on enforcement practices. These include bans on dragnet arrest operations based on race, language, accent, workplace, or location; a halt to deploying Border Patrol agents in U.S. cities; and tighter restrictions on DHS’s ability to reprogram or transfer funds for detention expansion or enforcement escalation.
Advocates emphasize that these demands are not aimed at ending immigration enforcement altogether.
“Oklahomans know these are not radical demands,” the letter states. “They are the bare minimum steps required to protect our communities from escalating violence, abuse, and constitutional violations.”
The letter also challenges claims that such restrictions would weaken immigration law enforcement, arguing instead that unchecked funding has enabled practices that erode public trust and put communities—particularly Black, Brown, immigrant, and working-class communities—at greater risk.
The effort reflects a broader national debate over the role of federal law enforcement agencies, especially as images and videos of aggressive immigration raids, street arrests, and detention conditions circulate widely on social media and independent news outlets.
For organizers, the goal is clear: make Oklahoma’s elected officials publicly decide whether to support expanded enforcement power or stand with constituents demanding accountability, restraint, and constitutional protections.
As Congress gets closer to finalizing its appropriations, signatories say they plan to keep pressuring lawmakers—making clear that silence, abstention, or party loyalty won’t be seen as neutrality in a moment they see as morally decisive.
Would MLK ask folks to defund law enforcement?