Press Releases

Today, U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) voted against the Republican-led reconciliation bill to provide Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) with an extra $70 billion in funding. Carbajal issued the statement below following the vote.

“At a time when families on the Central Coast and across the country are struggling to afford groceries, housing, gas, and even basic medical care, Republicans have chosen to hand ICE yet another $70 billion blank check. ICE has become an out‑of‑control agency using extreme tactics that terrorize our communities — including right here on the Central Coast. They should not receive a single additional dollar until they undergo commonsense reforms and are held accountable for the violence they’ve instigated nationwide, from Carpinteria to Newark.

“This package also fails to block Trump’s $1.8 billion slush fund designed to reward the criminals who attacked the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. Once again, Trump and his enablers in Congress are funneling money to their political allies and cronies while working families are left without support. Let’s call it what it is: extreme corruption. While Republicans bury their heads in the sand, my Democratic colleagues and I will continue fighting for working people and pushing to hold Trump accountable for his many abuses of power,” said Rep. Carbajal.

Carbajal is a leader in Congress in pushing for commonsense immigration reform and holding federal immigration enforcement officers accountable.

Last month, Carbajal conducted an oversight visit to the Adelanto ICE processing facility to meet with detainees, three of which are Central Coast constituents. The detained constituents are from Goleta, Santa Maria, and Ojai. The Congressman also assessed conditions in the facility and inquired about the reported deaths of detainees. 

The May 14th Adelanto visit marks Carbajal’s third oversight visit to an ICE facility since the current Trump administration began. He previously visited the Santa Maria ICE processing facility twice in 2025. 

In February 2026, Carbajal joined over 50 Members of Congress outside of ICE’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., to call for the firing of former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem following the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

In June 2025, Carbajal co-sponsored the No Secret Police Act, which would require law enforcement officers and agents of DHS engaged in border security and civil immigration enforcement to clearly display identification and insignia when detaining or arresting individuals and to ban them from using home-made, non-tactical masks.  

In July 2025, Carbajal co-led the introduction of the bipartisan Dignity Act, a bipartisan bill that would introduce reforms into our country’s immigration system. The bill includes commonsense reforms to legal status and protections for undocumented immigrants, border security investments, and improved asylum and visa processes.

In the same month, Carbajal introduced the Fight for the American Dream Act, legislation that allows participants of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program to serve in the United States military and provides them a pathway toward U.S. citizenship after their service.

In June 2025, Carbajal introduced the Protect Patriot Parents Act, which would make parents of U.S. military servicemembers eligible for Lawful Permanent Resident status, preventing potential deportations or separations of military families.

Carbajal is also a co-sponsor of the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which establishes a program for agricultural workers in the United States to earn legal status through continued agricultural employment and contributions to the U.S. agricultural economy.