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Abolish ICE is aleft-wing[1][2] political movement that seeks the abolition of theU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).[3] The movement gained mainstream traction in June 2018 following controversy of theTrump administration family separation policy. The movement proposes that ICE's responsibilities be subsumed by other existing immigration agencies, as was the case before its creation. Discussions are particularly focused on the enforcement wing of ICE.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement was created in 2003, as part of the newly formedU.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The agency's young age has been a point of discussion, with proponents of Abolish ICE arguing that the United States can easily do without an agency that has only existed for less than twenty years.[4][5]Though the agency controversially expanded underBarack Obama, frustrating advocates for immigrants' rights,[2] its stated focus remained the deportation of those undocumented immigrants who were convicted of a crime.[6] In practice, however, ICE had been seen to target individuals solely on the status of having previously entered the country illegally.[7]
In 2014, theNational Immigration Law Center (NILC) filed a lawsuit against ICE and DHS under theFreedom of Information Act (FOIA).[8] The NILC obtained documents that revealed the sharing of information between ICE/DHS and State Motor Vehicle Departments for the purpose of immigration enforcement.[9] AfterDonald Trump took office in January 2017, his administration began to implement harsher immigration policies, such as denying asylum to refugees[10] andseparating undocumented children from their families, which spurred the growth of the movement.[11]
Sean McElwee, co-founder of left-wingthink tank Data for Progress, is credited with popularizing the slogan via thehashtag #AbolishICE.[2][1] According toThe Hill, "the hashtag eventually caught on infar-left Twitter circles in memes, with Twitter users incorporating 'Abolish ICE' into their display names and in other ways."[2]
In August 2017, a series of protests over the agency took place inOakland, California. However, a group of Oakland police escorted ICE and DHS agents to the site of a search, sparking controversy and protests over the sanctuary policy breach. ICE later stated that the agency was serving a federal search warrant for suspected child trafficking, and was not conducting a deportation.[12] Conservatives criticized the protesters for interfering with the investigation.[13]
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Controversy over theTrump administration family separation policy in 2018 brought the movement into the mainstream of political discussion.Dan Canon, a Democratic candidate for congress in Indiana, was the first candidate to call for ICE to be eliminated;[14] Randy Bryce, a Democratic congressional candidate in Wisconsin, followed soon after in April.[2] Bryce's opponent,Paul Ryan, who was then theSpeaker of the House of Representatives, said that abolishing ICE was "the craziest position I have ever seen".[15] On June 20, at the height of the family separation controversy, protestors approachedSecretary of Homeland SecurityKirstjen Nielsen at a restaurant, chanting "Abolish ICE".[16]
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, ademocratic socialist and Democratic primary challenger to RepresentativeJoseph Crowley, made abolishing ICE one of her top campaign issues.[17] In the wake of her unexpected victory on June 2018, the position became more widely accepted by progressive politicians, including Massachusetts senatorElizabeth Warren andBernie Sanders.[18][19] The change was particularly strong in Ocasio-Cortez's state of New York, where SenatorKirsten Gillibrand andNew York City mayorBill de Blasio quickly embraced the abolition of ICE after the win.[20]
In June 2018,Wisconsin congressmanMark Pocan announced that he would introduce legislation to dismantle ICE and establish a commission to determine how the government "can implement a humane immigration enforcement system",[21] after visiting theMexico–United States border and witnessing "the nation's immigration crisis".[22] Pocan was joined byPramila Jayapal of Washington andAdriano Espaillat of New York in introducing the bill, the Establishing a Humane Immigration Enforcement System Act, in July 2018.[15]
Nineteen ICE agents wrote a letter to Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen asking for the ICE to be split into two separate agencies because they believe the institution inhibits their ability to do their job properly.[23] Their proposal would separate the enforcement and removal unit, which is the subject of almost all of the controversy, from the investigations unit that focuses on issues such as fraud, human trafficking, gangs, and drug rings. They believe thatsanctuary jurisdictions would be more likely to work with the investigative unit if it were separate.[24]
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Several protests, rallies, and marches—includingOccupy ICE,Families Belong Together, andWomen Disobey—called for the abolition of ICE anddecarceration of undocumented immigrants.[25] These rallies took place over several months in over 700 cities in the United States and around the world.[26][27]
While Democrats have largely avoided calling to abolish ICE, there have been renewed calls for abolition.[28][29][30]
In response to militarized ICE raids following Trump's second presidency, protests against mass deportations followed in June 2025, especially inLos Angeles.
Trump has accused Democrats of advocating for the abolition of ICE, saying that if "you get rid of ICE, you're going to have a country that you're going to be afraid to walk out of your house". He predicted that Democrats would get "beaten so badly" in the2018 midterm elections because of the issue (the Democrats gained control of the House, but the Republicans expanded their majority in the Senate in the elections).[31][32] Then-Vice PresidentMike Pence visited ICE's headquarters in the wake of the controversy, calling ICE andBorder Patrol agents "heroes".[33]
Many Democratic politicians, such as SenatorAmy Klobuchar of Minnesota and former Vice PresidentKamala Harris of California, believe that ICE should bereformed rather than abolished.[34][35][36] Harris stated that Democrats should "critically re-examine ICE" and "think about starting from scratch" with American immigration policy, while SenatorBernie Sanders stated that Democrats should instead encourage Trump to work with them on "a national program which deals with this serious issue."[37]
National polling by thePew Research Center in July 2018 found that ICE was one of the least popular government agencies among Americans. The same poll found that public support of the agency was sharply partisan: 72% of Democrats hold an unfavorable view of the agency, while 72% of Republicans were found to have a "favorable opinion" of the agency.[38]
A June 2025 survey conducted by Pew reported that 54% of Americans disapprove of ICE's increased workplace raids.[39] A July 2025 poll byQuinnipac University found that 57% of voters disapprove of how ICE was enforcing immigration laws; 64% disapproved of deporting people to third countries.[40] NPR/PBS found that 54% adults thought ICE had "gone too far," while CNN found that 53% of Americans opposed the expanded funding for ICE provisions of theOne Big Beautiful Bill Act.[41]
National polling byPOLITICO/Morning Consult in July 2018 found that 25% of Americans favored abolishing ICE, while a majority supported keeping it.[42] In August 2018, national polling bythe Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 37% of Americans hold an unfavorable opinion of ICE.[43] The same poll found that 24% of Americans support abolishingICE.
Commentators have noted thatU.S. Customs and Border Protection, not ICE, is responsible for border enforcement, so abolishing ICE alone would not end the ability of the United States to enforce its immigration laws, nor would it necessarily end the controversialpractice of family separation that spurred support for the movement.[44]
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