Sponsors (24)
The bill protects federal employees from being reassigned to ICE and curbs immediate spending on ICE staffing, but at the cost of likely ICE staffing shortfalls and possible prolonged operational disruptions unless Congress acts to authorize transfers.
Federal employees (including DHS personnel) will not be reassigned or detailed to ICE without new Congressional authorization, preserving current job roles and preventing involuntary transfer.
Reduces near-term federal spending on ICE staffing by restricting use of funds for appointing or transferring personnel, lowering immediate taxpayer outlays for those hires/transfers.
ICE operations may face staffing shortages that slow immigration enforcement and case processing, potentially increasing backlogs and delaying removals or adjudications.
If Congress does not promptly pass clarifying authorization, agencies could experience a prolonged staffing freeze that disrupts interagency cooperation and worsens case backlogs for local and state partners.
Federal employees who customarily rotate into ICE assignments may lose career development opportunities and temporary pay/benefits tied to those details.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Immediately forbids using federal funds to appoint anyone to ICE positions or to detail/transfer federal employees to ICE until Congress explicitly overrides the ban.
Official title: To impose a hiring freeze on United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and for other purposes.
Introduced February 5, 2026 by Elizabeth Pannill Fletcher · Last progress February 5, 2026
Prohibits the use of any federal funds, beginning at enactment, to appoint anyone to a position within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or to detail/transfer any federal employee to ICE. The restriction remains in place until Congress later passes a law that explicitly states it overrides this prohibition.