The mayors pointed to specific incidents in their cities, including excessive force against protesters in Portland, masked agents refusing to identify themselves in Chicago, and raids in Los Angeles.
Mayor Karen Bass and mayors from seven other major U.S. cities issued a joint statement Wednesday demanding reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations and conditioning new Department of Homeland Security funding on a 10-point accountability framework.
The statement, released as Congress neared the Feb. 13 funding deadline, criticizes ICE for conducting operations without identification, warrants or accountability, saying such tactics erode public trust in law enforcement and create fear in communities.
The mayors — from Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, New Orleans and Portland — pointed to specific incidents in their cities, including excessive force against protesters in Portland, masked agents refusing to identify themselves in Chicago, and raids in Los Angeles that involved detentions at workplaces and public spaces. In Minneapolis, they cited the deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti during federal enforcement actions.
The 10-point framework calls for ending the use of face masks that conceal agent identities, stopping violent tactics, requiring body-worn cameras, mandating judicial warrants for private property entries, protecting sensitive locations such as schools and hospitals, prohibiting racial profiling, and preserving local authority to investigate potential crimes.
The mayors aligned their positions with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, urging Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune to accept the reforms before approving additional DHS funding.
