U.S. senators brief Prince George's delegation on DHS funding, ICE operations and local federal investments

U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Sen. Alsabrooks spoke to the Prince George's County House delegation on Feb. 20, 2026, urging the county's delegates to press for reforms at the Department of Homeland Security and outlining federal efforts to protect local grants and facilities.

Van Hollen told the delegation that he and his colleagues oppose further funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement without ‘‘dramatic reforms,’’ saying, ‘‘not 1 more penny’’ should go to a lawless operation while reforms are not secured. He criticized what he described as expanded immigration enforcement actions under the current administration and urged state and local officials to block purchases of properties that could become detention sites.

Sen. Alsabrooks echoed those criticisms and warned delegates about broader federal actions she said are eroding merit-based civil service and agency capacity. She said some agencies have been ‘‘superfunded,’’ citing a figure she placed at about $75,000,000,000 for ICE-related spending and described long-term damage to federal programs and the workforce.

Both senators highlighted federal investments that affect Prince George's County. Van Hollen said congressional appropriations preserved funding for NASA Goddard, the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center and about $33,000,000 in congressionally directed spending for local projects, including roughly $2,000,000 for a quantum workforce program at Prince George's Community College and funds for a Greenbelt Youth Center roof replacement.

Delegates used the senators' remarks to ask about specific federal actions: Delegate Tavares asked whether reported accommodations in MS-13 prosecutions had compromised cases; Van Hollen replied that reporting suggested prosecutions had been allowed to lapse for political reasons in some instances. Delegates also raised student-debt and child-support questions; the senators said legal setbacks had limited some federal loan-relief options and urged state–federal coordination on child-support rules.

The session closed after a short question-and-answer period; the senators offered staff contacts to follow up on the county's child-support and higher-education concerns.

The delegation's discussion comes amid broader state and federal debates over immigration enforcement, agency funding and how federal cuts or restorations will affect county budgets and services.