Reps. Craig, Omar Introduce Legislation to Reimburse Minnesota and Other States for Damages Inflicted by ICE

September 17, 2026 Press Release The Make ICE Pay Act would establish a federal grant program using funds previously appropriated to ICE and CBP WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representatives Angie Craig (MN-02) and Ilhan Omar (MN-05) introduced legislation that would establish a federal grant program to reimburse states for costs incurred and damages caused by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Make ICE Pay Act would direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish this grant program using $139,575,630,000 in federal funding previously appropriated to ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). This funding would be available to states targeted by President Trump’s reckless and lawless immigration enforcement operations – including Minnesota, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, North Carolina and Oregon – and would be distributed to impacted nonprofits and small businesses. The Make ICE Pay Act is co-sponsored by Reps. Chuy Garcia (IL-04), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) and Janelle Bynum (OR-05). The bill is endorsed by Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, the National Partnership for New Americans, Popular Democracy and the Black Alliance for Just Immigration. “The psychological and financial impacts of Operation Metro Surge will be generational,” said Rep. Craig. “As Minnesotans begin the long process of healing from the wounds that President Trump’s ICE inflicted, it’s important that we commit to holding this lawless and misguided administration accountable. There is much more work to be done, but this bill is a critical step toward making our communities whole.” Rep. Craig has taken the Trump Administration to task over its reckless and lawless immigration agenda and has fought to bring home Minnesotans wrongfully detained by ICE. This summer, she successfully secured the release of her constituent, Andrea Pedro-Francisco, who was held in ICE detention while suffering from an untreated ovarian cyst. In May, she traveled to El Paso, TX to visit Pedro-Francisco and conduct oversight of two ICE detention facilities—Camp East Montana and the El Paso Service Processing Center. Earlier this year, she conducted four oversight visits of the ICE processing center at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis. Following her third visit with Rep. Omar, she sent a letter to former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem expressing concern that no detainees were present during their visit despite reports that individuals were being held at Whipple and slamming Noem for previously denying them their constitutional right to conduct unannounced oversight visits. Rep. Craig also introduced articles of impeachment against former Secretary Noem in January before she was ultimately fired in March. She has vocally opposed the opening of any new ICE facilities in Minnesota, including a proposed ICE detention center in Shakopee, which she successfully quashed alongside state and local leaders. And this Congress, she helped introduce the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in ICE and CBP Custody Act to establish standards of care for individuals held in Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE custody. You can read the full text of the bill HERE . ###