Washington Examiner chief political correspondent Byron York said some Democrats are “wary” over calls to abolish the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE has become the target of rampant criticism from Democratic lawmakers ahead of the 2026 elections, reaching a boiling point earlier this month when an ICE officer shot and killed resident Renee Good amid immigration enforcement operations. It was further exasperated when a border patrol agent shot and killed resident Alex Pretti while he was interfering with ICE operations.
While some Democratic lawmakers, including Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), are pushing to abolish ICE, York said the issue with this stance is that “it’s not a majority position.”
“When you look at Democrats only, yes. There are big majorities of Democrats. When you look at the country as a whole, it’s less than a third of people who support abolishing ICE,” York said on Fox News’s Fox & Friends. “So what are you going to do in a nationalized election with the voting going on all around the country in states and congressional districts? It’s not a winner.”
York added that this is why some leaders in the Democratic Party are “wary” of this mentality, even as prominent Democrats such as Omar continue to advocate ICE’s abolishment. In comparison, he said party leaders are trying to “steer clear” of this due to “worry” that most voters don’t support it.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said on Wednesday that city police won’t enforce federal immigration laws, saying he wants Minneapolis police officers “producing safety for the city.” York contended that Frey’s remark comes as the mayor and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) govern in a “liberal area” where “large majorities” support abolishing ICE.
Border czar Tom Homan said he had a “productive” meeting on Tuesday with Walz and Frey. The meeting comes shortly after Homan was deployed to Minnesota by President Donald Trump to de-escalate political tensions after Alex Pretti’s death.
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Besides advocating ICE’s abolishment, other Democratic lawmakers are seeking different avenues. Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), who is running for governor of California, has proposed blacklisting former ICE agents from working any government role should he become governor.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), meanwhile, is encouraging his Democratic colleagues to oppose a measure funding the Department of Homeland Security, which ICE falls under.