Letter: Eckhardt Calls for Cessation of ICE Operations in TX

January 28, 2026
Governor Greg Abbott
Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428 Austin, Texas 78711 Dear Governor Abbott,
I write today to share my deep concerns regarding the ongoing operations conducted by the United
States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) throughout the United States, but particularly
here in Texas. I strongly urge you to use your authority as the chief executive of Texas to bring
about a cessation of ICE operations in Texas until an independent investigation can be conducted
to provide a thorough review of the agency’s actions.
Communities are directly feeling the repercussions of ICE’s actions. Individuals are being arrested
in Texas for attending their lawfully scheduled immigration proceedings and families are being
separated. We have all been troubled by the recent events in Minneapolis, where Alex Pretti was
shot fatally by federal agents while he was helping a woman and legally exercising both his
constitutional 1st Amendment right to free assembly and protest, and his 2nd Amendment right to
bear arms. He was the second U.S. citizen to be shot fatally by federal agents in three weeks.
As elected officials, we swear an oath to uphold the Constitution. It is incumbent upon us to respect
and abide by the rule of law. We all agree that our laws should be enforced. However, this—or
any—administration must also have fidelity to the law. They may not pick and choose when to
throw out our fundamental constitutional rights in an effort to enforce some laws over others.
Certainly, no one—including agents of the government—should be above the law.
I know you well understand that our democracy relies on the power of checks and balances
between the three branches of government as well as between the states and the federal
government. I agree with your recent statement that the White House needs to “recalibrate” in
regards to ICE.
I also agree with former Austin and Houston police chief, Art Acevedo, when he said; “[m]odern
policing is rooted in procedural justice, the principle that how we enforce the law matters just as
much as what law we enforce. Respect, transparency, and restraint are not political concepts. They

are operational necessities. Without them, cooperation disappears, clearance rates fall, and
violent offenders thrive.” In Texas, we have worked diligently to improve community and police
relations. However, these recent incidents illustrate a fundamental issue with ICE and Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) agents—they have civil, not criminal, authority and, as a result, they
do not receive traditional law enforcement training, including de-escalation and use of force. The
tactics deployed by ICE in recent months not only do not align with law enforcement best practices,
they run contrary to it.
I have heard from many of my constituents who are deeply troubled that Texas has become the
epicenter of the nation’s immigration detention system. We house more immigration detention
facilities than any other state. We are hearing credible reports that indicate these facilities do not
meet basic health and safety standards. In just the past two months, ICE has reported four deaths
in its custody in Texas. One of them, a 55-year-old Cuban man, was ruled a homicide by the El
Paso Medical Examiner. Another report about the detention of a 5-year-old boy and his father from
Minnesota in a South Texas facility has reignited outrage over the Trump administration’s renewed
policy of locking up families—a policy that overwhelmingly plays out in Texas, even when
families are apprehended elsewhere since Texas is the only state with detention centers that hold
children and their parents. Legal filings detail families held for extended periods to pressure them
into giving up their cases, with children denied clean water, adequate food, and basic medical care.
These tactics would appear to violate the law. The state of Texas should not continue enabling this
harm.
I know you are hearing from others as well, I want to add my voice to those urging you to act now
and cease cooperation with ICE operations that perpetuate abuse, endanger lives, and bring lasting
damage to families and communities across this state and the country until we get some
independently verified answers about some of these ongoing and repeated allegations.
Sincerely,
Sarah Eckhardt
State Senator, District 14