The Politics of Abolishing ICE

ICE’s belligerent campaign of violence and intimidation in Minneapolis has been well-documented, and it has resulted in a marked turn in public sentiment against the agency.

A Navigator poll found that 57% of respondents view ICE unfavorably, compared to 37% who view it favorably. A YouGov poll found that 46% of respondents supported abolishing ICE altogether, with 43% opposed. Further, 47% said that ICE is making Americans less safe, with only 34% believing the agency is making Americans safer. 

The more specific you get, the less popular ICE looks. 59% of respondents say that ICE has been too aggressive. 56% said that ICE agents shouldn’t be allowed to wear masks. Several polls have found that a majority of people believe the shooting of Renee Good was unjustified, with only about 30% saying it was justified (30% may seem high, but it’s about as low a number as you’ll see on a heavily politicized issue – Trump’s approval rating still sits at about 35%). 

This is a tremendous political opportunity. There is a large, powerful contingent of people who want to stymie immigration and sow chaos in blue cities, and ICE is one of their primary weapons. The political conditions are building to strip that weapon from their hands. 

The appetite for this among Democrats seems mixed. The Congressional Progressive Caucus vowed to oppose funding the Department of Homeland Security (ICE’s parent agency) until significant reforms are made, and backed a bill to redirect ICE funds toward affordable housing. But some prominent Dems, especially in the Senate, seem to be focusing on ticky tack reforms. Senators Cory Booker and Alex Padilla centered their public statements around better training and hiring practices - as if the problem is a handful of rogue agents rather than an agency that is all-in on institutionalized violence. 

Centrist forces within the Democratic Party have started to rally against the prospect of abolishing ICE. Third Way, a centrist think tank, described it as a “politically lethal” and polarizing slogan akin to “defund the police.” They failed to note that abolishing ICE is about 20 points more popular than defunding the police was in mid-2020.

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