(Leaders in San Diego gather at the County Administration Building to call on lawmakers ahead of DHS funding vote on February 12, 2026. / Southern Border Communities Coalition)
SOUTHERN BORDER — As Congress faces a funding deadline this Friday for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), community, labor, faith, and civic leaders gathered in San Diego on Thursday to call on lawmakers to protect our communities. Specifically they called for no more funding for DHS abuse, violence and impunity, and instead asked Congress to prioritize:
- Limiting use of force by DHS agents to protect life
- Ensuring criminal investigations of use of force are independent
- Ending warrantless searches, detentions and arrests
- Increasing oversight and transparency
- Ending racial and identity profiling
Shortly after the press conference, the Senate voted down a Continuing Resolution that would have continued DHS funding as a status quo. With a looming shutdown, San Diego leaders call on Congress to do everything they can to rein in the egregious behavior of DHS agents through the funding process.
Quotes from San Diego leaders:
Ian Seruelo, chair of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium:
“Congress has a very important decision to make: continue the status quo or seize this opportunity to implement much needed reforms to ensure that the largest law enforcement in the nation is held accountable. This is not just a matter of budgets and votes; it’s a matter of basic rights and the safety and dignity of the people who call our communities home. We are calling on Congress to push meaningful reforms that our communities desperately need.”
Brigette Browning, president of San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council:
“Our Congress should stand up for the workers who are building our economy and our country. We have people so afraid they no longer feel safe to go to church. They don’t feel safe to drop their kids off at school. They don’t feel safe to go to the grocery story. This should be the land of the free, not the oppressed. Stand up for us and do the right thing or hell hath no fury in November.”
Sean Elo-Rivera, San Diego City Councilmember, District 9:
“The demand is very simple. It’s that we’re going to put some guardrails and accountability in place for a department that is abusing Americans, making good honest everyday people fear doing the most basic things in their lives. Let’s stand up, do what’s right and make sure that San Diegans know their rights will be respected, and there will be accountability when they are not.”
Crystal Irving, president of Service Employees International Union Local 221:
“$170 billion to an agency that is responsible for the deprivation of our basic human rights at the expense of life saving programs that thousands of San Diegans and millions of Americans need does not align with our values. We expect and we demand better. Congress must protect our communities by acting now to ensure this funding does not move forward and ensure protections for our communities.”
Rev. Justine Sullivan, Lead Minister of First Unitarian Universalist Church of San Diego:
“Our primary task is to care for one another, that is what we are called to do. We will not be divided because we understand the assignment — to care for each other. To those of you in Congress who have the purse strings, you know what the right thing is. We have to stop this authoritarian regime. We are all each other’s beloved. Be on the right side, join us in stopping this violence.”
Lilian Serrano, director of the Southern Border Communities Coalition:
“Democracy doesn’t need spectators. It needs people to take action. We’re asking every member of the public to do your part to make sure that no more money goes to fund violence and impunity. Contact your senators and members of Congress and tell them enough is enough. We deserve better. Our communities demand protection now.”
Background:
The DHS annual funding expires on February 13, 2026. Congress must decide whether to pass a Continuing Resolution that preserves the status quo, or use this moment to secure meaningful reforms to rein in the largest law enforcement agency in the country. Annual funding bills require 60 votes in the Senate to be considered, meaning bipartisan agreement is necessary. This is a choice point and San Diego leaders are calling on the San Diego congressional delegation and broader Congress to push for much needed reforms.
For more than a century, border communities have borne the brunt of violence and impunity by immigration and border agents in the #FightForDignity. That harm has fallen on citizens and immigrants alike and has remained largely invisible to those outside the border region, which has served as the testing ground for abuse and impunity. Now, communities across the country are being subjected to border-style abuse of power by DHS agents who are eroding fundamental human rights, terrorizing communities, and threatening our democracy. From the killing of Anastasio Hernández Rojas and the roundup of people in San Diego to the unabashed cruelty of agents in Minneapolis and other cities, it is clear that one of the greatest dangers we face is the unchecked power.
###
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN BORDER COMMUNITIES COALITION:
The Southern Border Communities Coalition (SBCC) brings together organizations from San Diego, California to Brownsville, Texas, to ensure that border enforcement policies and practices are accountable and fair, respect human dignity and human rights, and prevent the loss of life in the region.