On June 9, 2026, Republicans in Congress made their priorities clear.

While working families face rising costs, economic uncertainty, and shrinking access to essential services, Congressional Republicans chose again to advance Trump’s callous agenda by approving a nearly $70 billion increase for ICE and CBP.

Over the past year, we’ve watched the administration and Congressional Republicans use any and every maneuver at their disposal to attack our families. From targeting child care providers who do the most important work of looking after our children to militarizing cities and airports across the nation, and then making thousands of federal workers go unpaid for six weeks in the middle of a budget showdown.

This recent funding bill is a setback. But not only have we stood our ground, we’ve shown that when Black, Brown, and low-income community members across the nation organize together and take collective action, we have real power. And that makes them nervous.

For months we put enough pressure on our elected officials to do right by our families and stop filling the pockets of lawless agencies—we insisted they hold DHS accountable and they listened. Together, we delayed action on funding ICE and CBP for 4 months, but in the end the Republican Party revealed, yet again,  their willingness to put loyalty to Trump above accountability, public safety, and the needs and wants of everyday people.

Since January 2026, Community Change Action members generated over 63,000 messages to our Members of Congress demanding not a single dollar go to ICE and Border Patrol. 

In May, Congress passed a funding bill without any new money for ICE and Border Patrol. For the first time, FEMA and TSA funding was separated from ICE and CBP’s budget to ensure this. 

That was a real victory—and it made Republicans nervous enough to cheat. 

Our work ensured Democrats stood firm. They demanded accountability from ICE and real protections and guardrails to stop the violence, killings, and unprecedented surveillance and intimidation of people seen over the last two years. Republicans chose to cheat. 

Instead of following the appropriations process to fund DHS, Republicans used a budget shortcut called reconciliation to shove through a $70 billion dollar blank check for ICE and Border Patrol. On June 9th, House Republicans passed the measure that was sent to them by Senate Republicans. They ignored the positions of their own constituents and their fellow members of Congress to line their own pockets and the pockets of their friends that benefit from Trump’s concentration camp and deportation machine. 

The reconciliation process itself is not always used for bad – it has been used in the past to deliver critical relief to families and communities, more notably by Democrats in 2010 to expand healthcare coverage through the Affordable Care Act and in 2021 to deliver the American Rescue Plan Act with expansive economic support during the COVID-19 crisis. But right now, Republicans are using it to pour tens of billions of taxpayer dollars into Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda. Instead of helping struggling families who are treading water with high prices and inflation getting worse every day. 

The consequences are real, but so is our power

We have seen the consequences of Republicans’ cheating strategy: a packed conservative Supreme Court putting millions at risk and stripping away critical rights and protections from overturning Roe v. Wade to weakening the Civil Rights Act, and shameless efforts to undermine our electoral power through redrawn maps. 

Like the Coyote in the Road Runner cartoons, Republicans keep setting traps for others, but it’s backfiring and harming the everyday people they represent.

That is exactly why we cannot give up. Elected officials are public servants and when they fail to address the real concerns of the people, it is the people’s job to use their power in the streets and at the polls. 

“La unión hace la fuerza,” or strength is in union.

My mother says proverbs aren’t just words, they’re wisdom. And our superpower is knowledge, organization, and community. Those who have forgotten their responsibility to serve the people must be held accountable. And together we will make sure of it. 

This summer, Community Change Action will continue to offer online opportunities to build community through our Cafecitos, the Kids Belong in Classrooms trainings, and many other bilingual initiatives that will help all of us step into our power and take action. And let us know what kinds of trainings or learning opportunities would be beneficial to you, here.

No matter our immigration status or voting eligibility, each of us has a role to play in building power, defending our communities, and creating a future where our friends, families, and neighbors can thrive.