To the men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement:
I write to you not as an adversary, but as a fellow human being who believes in the fundamental dignity of every person. I recognize that you are in a difficult line of work and are supposed to follow orders. And that doing so places you in challenging situations. Perhaps you even wish you had another job to go to, but in this economic and political environment, it’s not so easy.
You find yourself caught up in a policy and legal environment that is increasingly harsh and cruel — certainly one less welcoming and compassionate than the words enshrined on our Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
So, I write this to ask that as you perform your responsibilities, you do so with humanity, fairness, compassion, and respect for human and constitutional rights.
Behind every case is a human story.
The people you encounter are mothers and fathers, students and workers, people with dreams and families who depend on them. Many have lived and worked in this country for years or decades, contributing to their communities and raising American children. While I understand that your job requires you to enforce the law, I urge you to remember that enforcement decisions often involve discretion, and that discretion should be exercised with compassion.
Every person deserves to be treated as an individual
No one should be stopped, questioned, or detained based solely on how they look, the language they speak, where they work, or their perceived ethnicity. And until recently, racial profiling was considered unconstitutional. But in September 2025, the Supreme Court changed that – basically giving a green light to racial profiling. You can read about the case – Noem v Vasquez Perdomo – here, here, here. To my mind, SCOTUS has thrown out the window the basic principle that we are all innocent until proven otherwise. The decision tears at the very fabric of communities and certainly erodes trust in law enforcement.
You have the power to uphold both law and dignity
To do so, you can:
- Treat everyone you encounter with respect, regardless of their immigration status
- Ensure that language barriers don’t become barriers to justice
- Recognize the difference between criminal activity and civil immigration violations
- Consider the human impact of separating families
- Resist any pressure to meet quotas through indiscriminate enforcement
Your choices matter
History will remember not just what laws were enforced, but how they were enforced—with cruelty or with mercy, with prejudice or with fairness. You have the ability each day to choose the kind of agent, and the kind of person, you want to be.
I believe many if not most of you entered this work with a genuine desire to serve and protect. Please hold onto that original intention. Serve the law, yes—but also serve justice, humanity, and the values that we hope define us as a nation.
We all share this country. Let us build it together with dignity, not fear.
With respect,
Kathleen Rest
Thank you Kathleen.