Democrats may be making the biggest mistake of their political lifespan as they take their “Abolish ICE” rhetoric out of the hands of protestors and put it into the hands of the House of Representatives. Not willing to simply keep this outlandish proposal limited to a handful of far-left legislators or candidates, Rep. Mark Pocan is introducing a bill that would not only close down Immigration and Customs Enforcement for good, but would actually “probe whether its agents had flouted international law.”
The Washington Post spoke to Pocan (D-Wis.) about his legislation. The Democrat said that President Trump was responsible for destroying ICE’s reputation to the point that the agency could no longer be salvaged.
“The ICE brand has been so damaged by the president that it can no longer accomplish its original mission,” Pocan said. “Even ICE agents recognize that ICE doesn’t do what it was intended to.”
Like, 19 ICE agents signed a letter asking for the abolishment of the agency. It is misleading and deceptive to claim that “ICE agents” want to see the agency shuttered. But then, when you’re spearheading a cause that basically comes down to, “Let’s stop enforcing the nation’s immigration laws,” you pretty much have to lie about your goals.
That’s why we get lines like the following in the Washington Post article: “While Republicans have conflated ‘abolish ICE’ with a campaign to create ‘open borders,’ Pocan’s legislation would not alter the nation’s immigration laws. If passed, the bill would sunset ICE within one year, and immediately create a bipartisan group to work out a replacement.”
Which gives you an idea that Democrats simply want to make the federal government a little more efficient, that’s all. They just want to break up ICE’s responsibilities into smaller chunks so everyone can best focus on all the constituent parts, right? Yeah, that’s the ticket. Just listen to the way the legislation puts it: A bipartisan group would “identify all essential functions of ICE that uphold the Constitution,” and then “identify the appropriate federal agencies that shall be tasked with executing activities such as combating financial crimes, cybercrimes, trade fraud, human trafficking and drug smuggling.”
You don’t need us to point out what “essential function” is missing from that list.
But if you’re still confused about where the Democrats are going with this, simply listen to Sean McElwee, an immigration activist that is “pleasantly surprised” with Pocan’s legislation.
“Now that we have a clear consensus that ICE must be abolished, it’s time for a discussion about a humane enforcement system,” McElwee told the Washington Post. “That means ending the criminalization of migration, creating a fast path to citizenship, limiting the scope of CBP’s enforcement and ending our inhumane immigrant detention system. The existence of the legislation proves that within the Democratic Party there is some interest in moving away from pandering to white supremacy.”
THAT’S where the Democrats are going with this.
Good luck in the midterms, fellas. You’re going to need it.
