February 05, 2026

Ansari Introduces Legislation to Rein In ICE, Demand Accountability

WASHINGTON – Today, Representative Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03) introduced a comprehensive package of legislation to hold U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) accountable for terrorizing communities under the direction of Donald Trump and Kristi Noem.

“I’ve visited the Eloy Detention Center three times, and have witnessed firsthand the severe neglect and deteriorating health of the people being held there–including U.S. citizens, asylum seekers, DACA recipients, and green card holders,” said Ansari. “I’ve also been on the ground in Arizona and watched ICE terrorize our communities—rolling into our neighborhoods fully geared and ready to deploy tear gas and other violent tools of repression. My legislative package is a significant step toward reining in ICE, holding this unchecked agency accountable, and draining the slush fund Republicans handed over in the Big Ugly Bill.”

Ansari’s set of bills includes her Drain ICE Act, Stop Inhumane Conditions in ICE Detention Act, and Studying Disastrous Impacts of Mass Deportation Act:

  • Ansari’s Drain ICE Act (H.R. 7346) would rescind and repeal the $75 billion in funding for ICE via the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” with important findings on the Trump Administration’s mass deportation agenda established by Congress.

  • Ansari’s Stop Inhumane Conditions in ICE Detention Act (H.R. 7347) would mandate reporting requirements about detainees in immigration detention facilities. It would require DHS and ICE to regularly report on detainee health conditions, standards of care, and any outbreaks or deaths in custody. It also mandates contract reviews in cases of abuse and requires annual audits by the DHS Inspector General, including specific oversight of gender-related medical care.

  • Ansari’s Studying Disastrous Impacts of Mass Deportation Act (H.R. 7345) would direct the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office to conduct a study on the harmful long-term economic impact of the Trump Administration’s immigration policies.

Ansari’s Drain ICE Act is cosponsored by 37 Members of Congress, including Representatives Nanette Diaz Barragan (CA-44), Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01), Shontel M. Brown (OH-11), Andre Carson (IN-07), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Laura Friedman (CA-30), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), John Garamendi (CA-08), Goldman (NY-10), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Jahana Hayes (CT-05), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Henry C. Johnson (GA-04), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Jennifer McClellan (MD-04), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Brittany Pettersen (CO-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Emily Randall (WA-06), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Janice Schakowsky (IL-09), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Nikema Williams (GA-05).

The legislation is also endorsed by Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), The Center for Gender & Refugees Studies (CGRS), Church World Service (CWS), and Detention Watch Network (DWN).

Ansari’s Stop Inhumane Conditions in ICE Detention Act is cosponsored by 38 Members of Congress including Representatives Nanette Diaz Barragan (CA-44), Andre Carson (IN-07), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Diana DeGette (CO-01), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Daniel Goldman (NY-10), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Henry C. Johnson (GA-04), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Summer Lee (PA-12), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Jennifer McClellan (MD-04), Grace Meng (NY-06), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Joe Neguse (CO-02), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Emily Randall (WA-06), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Janice Schakowsky (IL-09), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Dina Titus (NV-01), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12), Nikema Williams (GA-05).

The legislation is also endorsed by Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC), The LIBRE Initiative, The Center for Gender & Refugees Studies (CGRS), and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ).

Ansari’s Studying Disastrous Impacts of Mass Deportation Act is cosponsored by 27 Members of Congress including Representatives Nanette Diaz Barragan (CA-44), Andre Carson (IN-07), Gil Cisneros (CA-31), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Cleo Fields (LA-06), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Daniel Goldman (NY-10), Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Glenn Ivey (MD-04), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Henry C. Johnson (GA-04), Robin Kelly (IL-02), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), Summer Lee (PA-12), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Sarah McBride (DE-At Large), Jennifer McClellan (MD-04), LaMonica McIver (NJ-10), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Janice Schakowsky (IL-09), Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Shri Thanedar (MI-13), Nikema Williams (GA-05).

The legislation is also endorsed by The Center for Gender & Refugees Studies (CGRS), Church World Service (CWS), and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ).

SUPPORT FOR ANSARI’S LEGISLATION

“Taken together, these three bills are practical steps towards reining in ICE abuses by repealing nearly $75 billion in funding for ICE; promoting transparency and accountability for health care at detention centers; and chronicling the devastating long-term economic impacts of the Trump administration’s disastrous immigration policies. As an organization dedicated to upholding the rights of asylum seekers, including those fleeing gender-based violence, CGRS welcomes these measures to address some of the worst impacts of the administration’s abusive approach to immigration enforcement. At a moment when the American people are demanding that DHS’s unchecked power be curbed, these bills show Rep. Ansari is listening and willing to re-assert Congress’ responsibility as a co-equal branch of government,” said The Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS).

“The LIBRE Initiative supports the Stop Inhumane Conditions in ICE Detention Act of 2026 because accountability is not optional—it is a constitutional responsibility. Article I of the U.S. Constitution vests all legislative powers in Congress and clearly implies Congress’s authority to conduct oversight of the executive branch. This legislation requires the Department of Homeland Security and ICE to provide clear, consistent, and timely information to Congress and the public regarding conditions of care in their facilities. Transparency is essential to effective governance and to ensure the public’s trust in our institutions,” said Sandra Benitez, Executive Director of The LIBRE Initiative.

“The Stop Inhumane Conditions in ICE Detention Act reflects a core Jewish obligation of Pikuach Nefesh—the mandate to protect human life above almost all else. Every person is created b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God, and deserves dignity including appropriate medical care. By requiring accountability around health conditions, standards of care, and deaths in detention, this bill takes an essential step toward ending neglect and ensuring that our immigration system reflects our shared moral responsibility to protect human life,” said Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC).

“The Studying Disastrous Impacts of Mass Deportation Act responds to a deep moral crisis in our nation,” said Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC). “Shaped by a long history of migration, displacement, and the search for safety and opportunity, the Jewish community understands the profound communal consequences of forced removal. By directing a rigorous study of the national and regional economic impacts of mass deportation, this bill brings much-needed transparency and moral clarity to a debate that too often ignores the real costs borne by families, workers, and communities.”

“We commend Rep. Ansari for introducing legislation to curb abusive immigration enforcement and are proud to endorse the Stop Inhumane Conditions in ICE Detention Act and Drain ICE Act. Asian Americans are the only racial group that is majority foreign-born, and as such, all immigration policies deeply affect the wellbeing and safety of our communities. We have seen this through the cruel raids, detentions, and deportations that have brutalized our communities and torn families apart under this administration. Demanding accountability and reducing funding for ICE is the first step in putting a stop to the inhumane treatment of immigrants in this country,” said John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC).

“The Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda is wreaking havoc on our communities,” said Danilo Zak, Director of Policy at Church World Service (CWS). “In the wake of the $75 billion that Congress allocated for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last year, masked federal agents continue to commit widespread abuses throughout the United States. Religious communities across the country collectively decry the Trump administration’s violent and repressive actions – including targeting resettled refugees, detaining children and families, and killing newcomers and U.S. citizens alike. CWS thanks Rep. Ansari for introducing the Studying Disastrous Impacts of Mass Deportation Act to provide lawmakers and the public with actionable data on the economic and public safety impacts of immigration enforcement. We also thank the Representative for leading the Drain ICE Act, which would rescind the record-setting allocation for ICE in last year’s megabill. We urge Members of Congress to join with Rep. Ansari and heed the call of our congregations and communities by cosponsoring and passing these vital bills.”

“We welcome Representative Ansari's ‘Drain ICE Act’– a sorely needed step to rein in ICE violence by revoking billions of dollars that the agency received in last summer's reconciliation bill. ICE should never have gotten that money, which it has used to violently attack communities and expand its abuse ridden detention system to never before seen levels, including efforts to purchase warehouses to imprison human beings. Congress must act to stop ICE from continuing down this path of destruction,” said Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director at Detention Watch Network.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND

  • In January 2026, Ansari joined over two dozen other House Democrats for a shadow hearing titled “Kidnapped and Disappeared: Trump’s Deadly Assault on Minnesota.” Ansari’s visit to Minneapolis came one week after Renee Nicole Good was killed by ICE in Minneapolis.

  • In November 2025, Ansari traveled to Los Angeles with House Democrats on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee for a congressional field hearing titled “Due Process for All: Exposing Trump’s Mass Deportation Machine.” The hearing addressed and documented unlawful detentions and abuses by federal immigration agents. More than 200 people attended the hearing.

  • In November 2025, Ansari conducted her third oversight visit to the Eloy Detention Center in central Arizona, where she reported horrific conditions inside the facility. During the visit, Ansari met with Arbella “Yari” Marquez, who has been suffering from leukemia. Ansari witnessed Yari extremely ill, including an instance in which she vomited blood.

  • In September 2025, Ansari held a press conference at the U.S. Capitol to demand humane treatment and accountability at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities. Ansari highlighted alarming conditions at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona and called for urgent medical care for her constituent, Arbella “Yari” Rodríguez Márquez, who has leukemia and is not receiving adequate medical care.

  • In July 2025, Ansari conducted her second oversight visit to the Eloy Detention Center. Ansari met with two of her constituents whose families she has corresponded with, as well as a list of detainees who voluntarily signed up to speak with her inside the facility. All told, 98 people signed up to speak with her.

  • In July 2025, Ansari was scheduled to conduct her second oversight visit to the Eloy Detention Center, an ICE facility in central Arizona. Despite complying with the newly imposed guidance by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Ansari received notification that she was denied access to meet with her detained constituents less than 24 hours before the scheduled visit.

  • In May 2025, Ansari, along with Arizona’s Democratic Delegation, sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons demanding answers following reports that ICE abruptly detained multiple individuals who were attending their scheduled immigration court hearings in Phoenix.

  • In May 2025, Ansari conducted her first oversight visit to the Eloy Detention Center. While inside, Ansari heard stories that confirmed reports of dehumanizing treatment towards detainees, dirty and uninhabitable living conditions, and a lack of medical and mental health care.

  • In April 2025, Ansari traveled to El Salvador to demand due process for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was unlawfully deported by the Trump Administration.

  • In February 2025, Ansari introduced her first piece of legislation, H.Res.126, titled “Celebrating the Legacy and Contributions of Immigrants and Opposing Discriminatory Immigration Policies.”



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