How Radical is the 'Abolish ICE' Narrative?

I am currently out of town this week. This article was written on Friday, July 6^th. If anything major happened between that date and when this got published, I apologize for missing it. Let�s jump into this week�s blog.

I�ve been pretty heavily involved with the anti-family separation movement and I have spoken at protests concerning what is happening at the border. At these protests, a lot of things are said; some things I agree with and some things I do not. In the early stages of these events and demonstrations after the �zero tolerance policy� was introduced, I remember mentions of the phrase, �Abolish ICE.� It was not something that I heard from any announced speaker and was something more commonly said in conversation rather than out loud. As the days and weeks passed by, the phrase became more common and widespread and on the �Families Belong Together� day of action in Charleston, it was a staple line that would ensure clapping and yells of approval from the crowd.

            The �Abolish ICE� movement�s rise to prominence is not unique to the Charleston area. Lawmakers and progressive candidates from across the country are calling for the agency to be dissolved because they feel it is a symbol of President Trump�s aggressive immigration policy. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called it a, �deportation force,� and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Socialist congressional candidate I referred to in last week�s blog, expressed the same sentiment, albeit with some misleading facts to back up her stance. She incorrectly stated that ICE is mandated to fill 34,000 beds every night with detainees while in reality, they have to have that number of beds available every night.

            What made this seemingly radical idea become so mainstream? And is it a practical idea?

            The answer to the first question is pretty simple: it became normalized because enough people talked about it for enough time. President Trump is a master at making unconventional and radical ideas or actions become normal. The border wall is an example of that. When he first announced his campaign and his goal to �Build the wall,� it was seen as crazy and he was ridiculed for it by both sides. However, he kept talking about it consistently so it became more normal and people started to accept it and even support it. The same is true for �Abolish ICE.�  

            My first thought (and I do not think it is a thought unique to me) when I heard about �Abolish ICE� was, �That�s crazy. Eradicating an entire government agency is completely crazy.�

            

          However, let us consider some facts. ICE is not the entity separating children from their parents. The CBP (Customs and Border Protection) is doing that. ICE handles deportations and detentions. They were formed in 2003 after the passing of the Homeland Security Act and absorbed some functions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service which is now US Citizenship and Immigration Services. Under the Obama administration they primarily targeted and deported undocumented immigrants who committed crimes. Under Trump, they have been able to go after more and more undocumented immigrants, regardless of a criminal record. The call to abolish the agency is due to their increasingly aggressive tactics and the lack of control that is exercised over them. Even some ICE agents believe that the agency needs to go.

            The question that remains if ICE were to be dissolved is, �Who would be in charge of deportations?� The role would most likely be taken up by another agency from the Department of Homeland Security like the CBP or an entirely new agency would be formed. Lawmakers would decide who would govern the agency. The smart choice would be the Justice Department because if they handed responsibility over to DHS again then nothing will be different and we will be right back where we are today in a few months.

            It will be interesting to see where things go from here. That�s all for this week.