Stanton Moves to Redirect Billions from ICE, Rein In Warehouse Detention
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Greg Stanton (AZ-04) today announced the introduction of three amendments to the House Republican reconciliation bill that would redirect funding from the $70 billion funding surge for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to bolster the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as hurricane season begins and add necessary oversight over the creation of detention facilities like the one under development in Surprise, AZ. "The Republican reconciliation bill pours tens of billions of dollars into ICE, on top of the billions they already have on hand, while failing to provide the oversight and accountability communities deserve," said Rep. Stanton. "My amendments attempted to redirect a portion of that funding to address urgent public safety and disaster response needs, while ensuring communities aren't sidelined when major federal detention facilities are proposed in their neighborhoods." Stanton's first amendment prohibits the use of funds to acquire or convert facilities into immigration detention centers unless DHS first consults with local, state, and Tribal officials and routes actions through the General Services Administration. The amendment responds to DHS plans to hold 80,000 immigrants in warehouses nationwide, including in Surprise, Arizona. Stanton led the Arizona House delegation in demanding transparency on the Surprise facility and submitted nearly 7,000 constituent comments to DHS opposing its construction. Additionally, as Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee with jurisdiction over FEMA, Stanton introduced two amendments to redirect funding for ICE to strengthen FEMA's operations. Stanton’s second amendment would redirect $10 billion from ICE to ensure FEMA is fully staffed and prepared as hurricane season begins. FEMA faces significant staffing challenges at a time when communities across the country are experiencing increasingly severe and frequent natural disasters. The amendment prioritizes disaster readiness and emergency response capabilities over another blank check to ICE and CBP. Stanton’s third amendment would redirect an additional $10 billion from ICE to help cover post-disaster infrastructure repair costs caused by delays in FEMA funding disbursements. These delays stemmed from a policy under former Secretary Kristi Noem that required her personal sign-off on expenditures over $100,000. The policy was rescinded after Noem's departure in April 2026. Stanton also supported several other Democratic member efforts to amend the reconciliation bill, including amendments to redirect all of the funding for ICE to programs that support local law enforcement, protect immigrants from being arrested at courthouses, sensitive locations like schools and houses of worship, and Tribal facilities; limit short-term detention to 12 hours; and require body cameras and use-of-force standards for ICE agents.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Greg Stanton (AZ-04) today announced the introduction of three amendments to the House Republican reconciliation bill that would redirect funding from the $70 billion funding surge for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to bolster the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as hurricane season begins and add necessary oversight over the creation of detention facilities like the one under development in Surprise, AZ. "The Republican reconciliation bill pours tens of billions of dollars into ICE, on top of the billions they already have on hand, while failing to provide the oversight and accountability communities deserve," said Rep. Stanton. "My amendments attempted to redirect a portion of that funding to address urgent public safety and disaster response needs, while ensuring communities aren't sidelined when major federal detention facilities are proposed in their neighborhoods." Stanton's first amendment prohibits the use of funds to acquire or convert facilities into immigration detention centers unless DHS first consults with local, state, and Tribal officials and routes actions through the General Services Administration. The amendment responds to DHS plans to hold 80,000 immigrants in warehouses nationwide, including in Surprise, Arizona. Stanton led the Arizona House delegation in demanding transparency on the Surprise facility and submitted nearly 7,000 constituent comments to DHS opposing its construction. Additionally, as Ranking Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure subcommittee with jurisdiction over FEMA, Stanton introduced two amendments to redirect funding for ICE to strengthen FEMA's operations. Stanton’s second amendment would redirect $10 billion from ICE to ensure FEMA is fully staffed and prepared as hurricane season begins. FEMA faces significant staffing challenges at a time when communities across the country are experiencing increasingly severe and frequent natural disasters. The amendment prioritizes disaster readiness and emergency response capabilities over another blank check to ICE and CBP. Stanton’s second amendment would redirect an additional $10 billion from ICE to help cover post-disaster infrastructure repair costs caused by delays in FEMA funding disbursements. These delays stemmed from a policy under former Secretary Kristi Noem that required her personal sign-off on expenditures over $100,000. The policy was rescinded after Noem's departure in April 2026. Stanton also supported several other Democratic member efforts to amend the reconciliation bill, including amendments to redirect all of the funding for ICE to programs that support local law enforcement, protect immigrants from being arrested at courthouses, sensitive locations like schools and houses of worship, and Tribal facilities; limit short-term detention to 12 hours; and require body cameras and use-of-force standards for ICE agents.
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