Democrats who called for ICE to be abolished under Trump largely silent as border crisis rages

A fistful of high-profile Democrats successful the Senate and House antecedently supported the conception of abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — the bureau tasked with enforcing migration instrumentality successful communities and astatine the border.

Despite their erstwhile calls for ICE to beryllium scrapped, determination has been small absorption oregon pushback from Democrats astir ICE enforcement nether President Biden arsenic the borderline situation continues to wreak havoc connected U.S. citizens, cities and communities.

Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts — 2 Democrats who sought their party's information for president successful 2020 — are salient leaders who antecedently led calls for ICE to beryllium abolished outright, oregon breached up during erstwhile President Donald Trump's tenure successful the White House.

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Several Democrats called for ICE to beryllium abolished during Trump's tenure successful the White House. (Getty Images)

In 2018, during an quality connected CNN, Gillibrand said: "I don’t deliberation ICE contiguous is moving arsenic intended. . . . I judge that it has go a deportation force, and I deliberation you should abstracted the transgression justness from the migration issues."

"I deliberation you should reimagine ICE nether a caller bureau with a precise antithetic ngo and instrumentality those 2 missions out," she added astatine the time. "We judge that we should support families who request our assistance and that is not what ICE is doing today, and that’s wherefore I judge you should get escaped of it, commencement over, reimagine it and physique thing that really works."

Warren besides took contented with the bureau successful 2018, penning successful a Facebook post successful June 2018: "[Trump's] profoundly immoral actions person made it evident that we request to rebuild our migration strategy from apical to bottom, starting by replacing ICE with thing that reflects our values."

Though helium didn't straight telephone for ICE to beryllium abolished, a 2019 program released by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an autarkic who caucuses with Democrats and sought the party's information for president successful 2016 and 2020, included breaking up ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Deportation and enforcement would instrumentality to the Department of Justice, customs matters to the Treasury, and naturalization and citizenship to the State Department nether Sanders’ proposal.

A 2019 program released by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., included breaking up ICE and CBP. ((AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File))

Several House Democrats besides called to "terminate" ICE nether Trump and expressed their enactment for the bureau to beryllium "abolished."

House Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wisc., introduced legislation successful 2018 that would person led to ICE being "terminated" and called for the constitution of a committee "tasked with establishing a humane migration enforcement system." It ne'er received a ballot successful the House.

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Pocan's measure was co-sponsored by 7 different Democrats who stay successful Congress, including Reps. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, Adriano Espaillat of New York, Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, Adam Smith of Washington, Nydia Velázquez of New York and Yvette Clarke of New York.

"From conducting raids astatine plot centers and meatpacking plants, to breaking up families astatine churches and schools, ICE is tearing isolated families and ripping astatine the motivation cloth of our nation. . . . The bureau tin nary longer execute its goals effectively," Pocan said astatine the time.

"I'm introducing authorities that would abolish ICE and ace down connected the agency's broad directive to people and circular up individuals and families," helium added.

Speaking astir the effort successful July 2018, Jayapal said successful a statement: "There was enforcement of our migration laws earlier ICE was created, and determination volition beryllium aft ICE, arsenic an agency, is gone. As it stands, ICE is retired of control."

"We should destruct the bureau arsenic it stands and commencement from scratch to restructure its functions," Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., said of ICE successful 2018. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The effort was besides favored heavy by Espaillat, who said past that the lawmakers were "pushing to bring an extremity to ICE arsenic the bureau has strayed excessively acold from its archetypal mission, intent and purpose."

"We are witnessing a quality rights crisis, and our measure would bring guardant a caller exemplary and dismantle ICE erstwhile and for all," helium added.

Joining her colleagues, Velázquez besides said past that "the clip has travel to abolish ICE."

Blumenauer besides called for an end to the bureau successful 2018, insisting the Trump medication had "made the bureau truthful toxic that it's clip to abolish ICE, and commencement over."

The Oregon lawmaker's bureau noted successful a property merchandise astatine the clip that helium had been "one of the archetypal members of Congress to telephone for ICE to beryllium abolished" and voted against the enactment of ICE.

Like Blumenauer, McGovern besides voted against the enactment of ICE. In a 2018 comment, the Massachusetts congressman said, "It's clip to abolish ICE."

"We request to commencement a caller conversation," helium added astatine the time.

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Though she wasn't sworn successful arsenic a subordinate of Congress until January 2019, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has besides made calls to abolish ICE and adjacent suggested that she would similar to destruct the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the agency.

The congresswoman's remarks came successful a July 2019 treatment with The New Yorker Radio Hour’s David Remnick astir the anticipation of reforming oregon abolishing ICE.

"Would you get escaped of Homeland Security, too?" Remnick asked.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has made calls to abolish ICE and suggested that she would determination to destruct DHS, which oversees the agency. (Tom Williams/Getty Images)

"I deliberation so, I deliberation so. I deliberation we request to undo a batch of the egregious, a batch of the egregious mistakes that the Bush medication did. I consciousness similar we are astatine a very, it’s a precise qualified and supported position, astatine slightest successful presumption of evidence, and successful presumption of being capable to marque the argument, that we ne'er should’ve created DHS successful the aboriginal 2000s," Ocasio-Cortez responded astatine the time.

Ocasio-Cortez renewed her telephone for ICE to beryllium abolished successful January 2021, penning successful a post connected societal media, "Abolish ICE."

In 2022, the New York lawmaker sold "Abolish ICE" t-shirts, posters, and magnets connected her authoritative squad store that featured an crystal cooler with the connection "abolish" spray-painted successful reddish supra the connection "ice." Today, however, it appears the lone disposable point successful her online store with the words "abolish ICE" written connected it is simply a hat.

In an effort to recognize wherever they basal connected the contented now, Fox News Digital reached retired to each Democrat mentioned successful this nonfiction who called for ICE to beryllium abolished, breached up, oregon terminated. None of them responded.

ICE was established successful 2003 as a constituent bureau of DHS, pursuing the 9/11 panic attacks connected the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

ICE was formed with the transition of the 2002 Homeland Security Act to sorb the responsibilities of the erstwhile Immigration and Naturalization Service, arsenic good arsenic the U.S. Customs Service, which was formerly nether the power of the Treasury Department.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) seal. (PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images)

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The bureau is presently led by Acting Director Patrick J. Lechleitner, an American instrumentality enforcement officer who has served successful the relation since July 2023.

CBP records amusement that the archetypal six months of fiscal twelvemonth 2024 had 1,340,801 full encounters, exceeding the archetypal six months of fiscal twelvemonth 2023, which acceptable a grounds of 1,226,254 full encounters.