Politics

Democrat-Only Hispanic Congressional Caucus Opposes Abolition Of ICE

REUTERS/Mike Blake

Mike Brest Reporter
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The Democrat-only Congressional Hispanic Caucus announced its opposition to any legislation that would abolish the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency on Thursday night.

They issued the statement after House Republican leadership announced their plan to bring a Democrat-led bill that would abolish ICE to the floor for a vote.

“Simply terminating ICE fails to address President Trump’s underlying cruel immigration policies and priorities that target families and children,” Hispanic Caucus Chair Michelle Lujan Grisham, said in a statement.

“Any federal agency charged with conducting immigration enforcement, regardless of their name or place on an organizational chart, will continue to implement Trump’s depraved immigration priorities,” the statement concluded.

Reps. Mark Pocan, Pramila Jayapal and Adriano Espaillat introduced the Establishing a Humane Immigration Enforcement Act earlier on Thursday. They have all announced their plan to veto their own bill, instead opting to use that time to discuss Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the president’s “zero-tolerance” policy. (RELATED: Democratic Congressmen Accuse Paul Ryan Of Political Stunt For Calling For Vote On Their ‘Abolish ICE’ Bill)

Their bill, if passed into law, would force the closure of ICE, while creating a commission to create a new immigration agency.

The controversy surrounding ICE is hastily becoming a major voting point for midterm-election candidates in November.