Representative Adriano Espaillat Votes Against ICE Funding Bill

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), issued the following statement on H.R. 7147, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2026: 

"As an appropriator, former undocumented immigrant and, most importantly, as a New Yorker, I fully appreciate the importance of supporting agencies through vital funding that ensure the operations and security of our nation's government and our community," said Espaillat, who serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of House Appropriations. "However, the current Trump Administration has weaponized many of our agencies, including ICE, in ways that have made them unrecognizable to the American public, the very people these entities were designed to protect.   

“The Trump Administration has weaponized ICE, turning the agency against the American people and making our communities less safe. ICE is now a violent and deadly force we are witnessing terrorize families, including mothers, youth, and seniors. I have been vocal in my calls to dismantle the agency and will unwaveringly vote against any bill that gives additional funding to support this rogue agency. 

“The path forward is clear. ICE has become reckless and lethal, and to further fund it would simply be inhumane and against the fundamental principles of our nation.”

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Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his fifth term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities and serves as Ranking Member of the Legislative Branch Subcommittee of the committee during the 119th Congress. He is Chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), and serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/.

Media inquiries: Candace Person at Candace.Person@mail.house.gov