February 03, 2026

Rep. Mike Levin Votes No on 2026 Government Funding Package Over Failure to Rein in ICE

Washington, D.C.—Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) voted against the Fiscal Year 2026 government funding package considered on the House floor due to the exclusion of commonsense accountability measures and guardrail policies for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Rep. Levin released the following statement after his vote:

“Congress has a duty to fund agencies that protect our communities. We also have a duty to make sure those agencies operate professionally, lawfully, and with appropriate safeguards.

“I'm very mindful of the real harm a government shutdown would cause, especially for military families, like those at Camp Pendleton in my district, and I take that responsibility seriously. At the same time, I’m deeply concerned about the lack of meaningful commitment from Speaker Mike Johnson and the Trump Administration to rein in ICE or commit to even the most basic reforms. Without concrete, enforceable accountability measures codified into law, I cannot in good conscience support additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security.

“My position is simple: federal agencies must follow the law and operate transparently. Congress cannot continue writing blank checks to any federal agency that fails to meet basic standards of accountability and respect for constitutional rights. If there are no accountability and no reforms, there will be no funding.

“Any DHS funding—whether in this short-term extension or in a final funding bill—must include real measures of accountability and guardrails. That means ending arrests without judicial warrants, ending the detention and deportation of U.S. citizens, requiring agents to clearly identify themselves and wear body cameras, ensuring independent investigations, and establishing enforceable standards of care at detention facilities. These are standard professional practices across law enforcement and are rooted in the Constitution.

“It is deeply unfortunate that funding for DHS has been bundled with other essential funding bills that deserve consideration on their own merits. When those bills, including funding for the Department of Defense, came before the House earlier this month, I voted in favor of each one. I continue to support funding for our military, medical research, disaster response, veterans’ services, and other critical functions of government. But bundling these bills together does not absolve Congress of its constitutional obligation to demand accountability from federal agencies.”

Background About Rep. Levin’s Actions on Immigration

Since entering Congress in 2019, Rep. Levin has taken action to reform our nation’s immigration system, protect communities, and strengthen border security. His actions include signing four amicus briefs regarding birthright citizenship and data sharing for immigration enforcement to push back against the Trump Administration, conducting oversight visits to ICE detention facilities, and championing bills that would tackle our nation’s immigration and border challenges. Those bills include:

  • The Dignity Act is a comprehensive bipartisan immigration package that would expand enforcement at the border in exchange for increased pathways to legal status and substantive changes to our nation’s immigration system.

  • The American Dream and Promise Act would provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients. It would establish a permanent resident status for Dreamers for 10 years and grant individuals with TPS or DED a full lawful permanent resident status.

  • The American Families United Act would provide the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security the power to prevent the deportation of certain individuals if such a deportation would result in hardship for that individual’s American citizen spouse, parent, or child.

  • The Farm Workforce Modernization Act would improve the H-2A visa program, establish a new Certified Agricultural Worker (CAW) status, and provide support for farmers and farmworkers.

  • The National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act would strengthen the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion and limits the broad executive authority to issue future travel bans.

  • The Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act would make comprehensive reforms to our nation's immigration detention system by ending the use of private, for-profit detention facilities, prohibiting the practice of detaining families, repealing mandatory detention, and increasing oversight, accountability, and transparency of the immigration detention system.?

  • The Stop Excessive Force in Immigration Act would establish clear standards on the use of force by federal immigration enforcement, limit the use of face coverings and specific crowd control equipment, and require the use of body and vehicle cameras during enforcement activities.

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