We cannot fix a system that was built to prioritize volume, detention, and deterrence over humanity simply by making minor adjustments. Agencies like U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have, over time, become structurally oriented toward mass detention and enforcement practices that too often disregard due process, medical ethics, and basic human dignity. Defunding ICE is not about eliminating immigration enforcement. It is about dismantling a system that is producing documented harm and rebuilding one that is aligned with the rule of law, clinical standards of care, and constitutional protections.

A humane immigration system would shift resources away from detention-first models and toward community-based case management, timely legal processing, and oversight mechanisms that ensure accountability. Evidence consistently shows that individuals comply with immigration proceedings at high rates when they have access to legal support and stable housing alternatives. Rebuilding from the ground up means designing a system where enforcement is targeted, proportionate, and transparent, not indiscriminate or profit-driven.

At its core, this is about restoring integrity to immigration enforcement. A system that treats people humanely is not weaker, it is more effective, more just, and more consistent with American values. We should not accept a status quo where suffering is normalized. We should demand a system that enforces the law while upholding the dignity of every person it touches.

Immigration reform and border security must start with a simple truth: immigrants are human beings who deserve to be treated with dignity, respect, and compassion.

What Elizabeth Will Do:

Secure the Border with Smart Solutions

• Invest in modern technology and infrastructure

• Make use of our existing border agents, judges, and asylum officers to process cases quickly AT THE BORDER, not terrorizing the people of our communities.

• Combat drug trafficking and human smuggling

• Why it matters: Border security and compassion aren't mutually exclusive. We can have both.

Create a Pathway to Citizenship for Dreamers

• Pass permanent protections for DACA recipients

• Allow young people who grew up here to stay, work, and contribute

• Why it matters: These are Americans in every way but paperwork.

Overhaul the Immigration System

• We must defund the current version of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Streamline legal immigration so people don't wait decades

• Provide legal representation for asylum seekers

• Keep families together, not in cages

• Why it matters: America is a nation of immigrants. Our system should reflect our values.