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During an appearance on CNN’s “New Central” this Monday, Representative Seth Moulton from Massachusetts made a bold statement calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This comes as Moulton campaigns for a Senate seat in his home state.
In a conversation with host John Berman, Moulton’s stance was scrutinized. Berman highlighted a recent interview with Jim Messina, former campaign manager for Barack Obama, who cautioned against using language like “abolish ICE.” Messina emphasized the public’s desire for accountability and effective enforcement of immigration laws, but warned against dismantling an agency seen as crucial for border security.
When asked for his thoughts on Messina’s perspective, Moulton responded with a critical view of ICE’s operations. He argued that rather than ensuring safety, ICE has contributed to insecurity, particularly in urban areas that have been targeted politically. Moulton shared that even some ICE officers have expressed shame about the agency’s current state. He traced the agency’s origins to post-9/11 policy changes under President George W. Bush and suggested that ICE should be reintegrated into the Department of Justice, effectively eliminating its presence in the Department of Homeland Security. He recounted his experiences in Minneapolis, asserting that these firsthand observations solidified his belief in the necessity of abolishing ICE.
Berman asked, “What’s your response to that, Congressman?”
Moulton said, “The problem is that ICE is not keeping our borders safe. They’re making our cities unsafe, especially the blue cities that Donald Trump wants to target. The violence is the point right now with ICE — and I’ve even talked to ICE officers who are ashamed by their organization, ashamed of what their organization has become. The bottom line is that ICE was created by George W. Bush after 9/11. It should be put back in the Department of Justice. It should cease to exist in the Department of Homeland Security. It’s been a disaster. I was on the ground in Minneapolis, I saw it firsthand, and it’s clear to me that ICE needs to be abolished.”
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