U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) unveiled bipartisan legislation last week that would fully fund the Department of Homeland Security for Fiscal Year 2026 while enacting a series of targeted reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Rep. Fitzpatrick introduced the Reforming ICE and Protecting America Act, H.R. 8173, alongside U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) on April 2, after what lawmakers described as weeks of political deadlock in Washington that left DHS without full funding and TSA agents, Coast Guard servicemembers, and FEMA personnel in limbo.
“Government should never be brought to a standstill — certainly not when homeland security is on the line,” Fitzpatrick said. “It is time to do what should have been done from the beginning: govern, reform, and protect.”
Rep. Fitzpatrick, who served as an FBI Special Agent for more than 15 years, said the bill was developed with input from federal law enforcement officials and in consultation with members of the Problem Solvers Caucus and Senate partners, including the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
If enacted, the legislation would fully fund ICE and bring it in line with the standards applied to every other law enforcement agency in the country, a bill summary states. Key provisions would require ICE officers to wear body cameras, limit the use of masks, mandate visible identification and standardized uniforms, and subject officer-involved shootings to independent investigation.
The bill would also require probable cause and warrants in key enforcement contexts, including explicit protections against the knowing detention of U.S. citizens without probable cause. Enforcement at sensitive locations, such as schools, houses of worship, health care facilities, polling places on Election Day, childcare facilities, and private residences, would be restricted absent a warrant, except in exigent circumstances, the summary said.
Other provisions focus ICE enforcement on violent offenders and serious public safety threats, strengthen penalties for doxxing of law enforcement personnel, and ensure Customs and Border Protection remains concentrated on border security.
Rep. Suozzi called the bill a response to public frustration over airport disruptions and the failure to reach a funding deal. “This legislation cuts through the dysfunction,” he said. “It’s rooted in common sense; let’s fund DHS, keep our country safe, and hammer out real reforms of ICE.”