Cost of ICE
This letter to the editor, by Kerry Kittel, appeared in the Hudson Star Observer on January 29, 2026.
Congressional Republicans, following President Donald Trump’s orders, tripled the Immigration and Customs Enforcement budget from $10 billion in 2025 to $30 billion in 2026. They also added another $45 billion over several years for detention centers.
ICE frequently spends more money than Congress approves which is a violation of federal law. It continues to raid FEMA’s budget, removing money appropriated for disaster relief.
Trump’s administration siphoned money from the Coast Guard and the TSA, while diverting personnel from the FBI, DEA, and ATF. Bleeding those agencies of resources after the massive increase in the ICE budget makes no sense, and clearly makes Americans less safe from crime.
Congressional Republicans gave ICE a blank check by combining a 300% increase in funding with zero dollars for oversight. Since Trump already fired many independent watchdogs responsible for monitoring fraud and abuse, who is left to keep ICE honest?
No-bid contracts have been awarded to CoreCivic and Geo Corp, who are major donors to Trump. Government contracts nearly always require competitive bids to ensure the best product at the lowest cost. Why make exceptions for Trump donors?
Members of Congress have been blocked from fulfilling their oversight of the detention centers, which now allow only pre-announced visits. What are Trump’s detention facilities hiding from Congress and the American people?
ICE is not allowing the required two inspections per year of detention facilities. Inspections have declined 36.25% in 2025. Thirty-two people died in ICE custody in 2025, triple the number who died in 2024. Six more have died during the first three weeks of 2026. Each of these deaths deserve a full investigation by an independent agency, which to this point appears to never have been done.
Remember when Republicans used to demand transparency and accountability in government? U.S. Representatives (R-Wisconsin) Tom Tiffany and Derrick Van Orden have abandoned those principles as they relate to ICE spending and detention facilities. They, along with every congressional Republican, need to demand the same level of scrutiny that would apply to every other federal program.