Americans from Around The Country Call for ICE to be Abolished

From major politicians to everyday citizens, Americans are calling for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished. Protests, lawsuits, and media stories from around the country are coming out pertaining to the abuses of ICE and the corruption of the Agency. The increasing alarm is a direct result of over 2,000 children being separated from their families due to Trump’s push for a harsher immigration system.

This past weekend there were about one hundred thousand people protesting the trump administration’s actions. There were large protests across the Brooklyn Bridge, across the southern border, in D.C., and in multiple cities. All of the demonstrators were protesting under the same message- Families belong together. Many of the protestors were calling for the end of ICE all together.

With chants of echoing  “end family detention” and signs reading “Free the children” and “Stop these crimes against humanity”, the peaceful protesters made their statement clear, children must be reunited with their parents. One mother at a rally in Texas, along the southern border, said “I am worried about the world my kids are growing up in.” Activist and playwright Lin Manuel Miranda, one of many celebrities that have protested and condemned family separation, rallied in D.C.. He stated “Everyone with a shed of compassion has thought what if that was my child.”

One protester stated “We are here to stop this injustice against children. We are here to stop Sessions, Trump, and any aggression towards our community. We are fed up. We are here to say abolish ICE. And we can not say anything less. Anything less means to compromise. There is really, absolutely, no way of justifying the actions of ICE.” The cruel extent that the U.S. government and ICE has gone to in order to deter immigration has led the plea to end the agency.

A number of Democrats have voiced their support in the termination of the Immigration and Customs agency. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ran on the platform of abolishing ICE and won against Incumbent Congressman Joe Crowley. “As overseen by the Trump administration, ICE operates with virtually no accountability, ripping apart families and holding our friends and neighbors indefinitely in inhumane detention centers scattered across the United States. It’s time to abolish ICE, clear the path to citizenship, and protect the rights of families to remain together.” her website states.

Current NY Senator Kirsten Gillibrand discussed the issue during an interview. “We believe that we should protect families who need our help and that is not what ICE is doing today, and that’s why I believe you should get rid of it, start over, reimagine it and build something that actually works.” Statements such as Gillibrand have been echoed by politicians around the country.

House Member Mark Pocan of Wisconsin declared “ICE is tearing apart families and ripping the moral fabric of our nation.” another House Member, Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, added “Trump and his administration have made the agency so toxic that it’s time to abolish ICE, and start over.”

The amount of politicians and activists calling for the abolishment of ICE rises everyday. ICE was created in response to 9/11 attacks, dealing with our nation’s security and dangerous threats. The agency, being a part of the department of defense and Homeland Security, has “a combination of civil and criminal authorities” according to its government website. Yet many have said the powerful agency has committed great abuses and done the very opposite of protecting people.

The ACLU stands strongly in this position. The organization has sued and held multiple suits against ICE and Border Patrol. Their website states

“Many of ICE’s removal tactics take away even the right to a fair hearing in court. These enforcement programs pose a variety of threats to civil liberties: They implicate the Fourth Amendment’s protection against unreasonable searches and seizures, the constitutional guarantee of due process, and the constitutional guarantee of equal protection and freedom from discrimination based on race, ethnicity, and national origin. ICE’s enforcement practices also impose heavy social costs, tearing American families apart and undermining community trust in law enforcement.”

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement corruption has led to an evident public uproar.