Needless To Say, Not All Democrats Are For Abolishing Ice

The other day, I mentioned on Twitter how interesting it will be to see the next Congress' likely most progressive member, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, join the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Some of the most conservative Democrats in Congress are part of that caucus. A full dozen have F's for their lifetime crucial vote score from Progressive Punch-- from bad to worse-- Tony Cardenas (CA), Juan Vargas (CA), Norma Torres (CA), Darren Soto (FL), Salud Carbajal (CA), Vicente González (TX), Pete Aguilar (CA), Filemon Vela (TX), Raul Ruiz (CA), Lou Correa (CA), Jim Costa (CA) and Henry Cuellar (TX). The caucus has been warning that they oppose abolishing ICE, which normal Democrats, including Ocasio, have been calling for in their campaigns. The caucus' talking points stress that immigration enforcement is just one part of the agency’s portfolio and ICE also does good work on narcotics enforcement, investigating cybercrimes, human smuggling, firearms smuggling and counterterrorism. "ICE needs greater oversight and accountability," they wrote, "so that we can protect the homeland and better manage our broken immigration system."

And the House Hispanic Caucus isn't alone there. Over the weekend, Axios reported that top Democrats see the danger on sudden party push to abolish ICE. Does that surprise anyone at all? It shouldn't. "Top Democrats" are afraid of looking weak on security. Who are these "Top Democrats?" We have to take Axios' word that they're really top-- or even Democrats-- since they don't name them.

Although one top Democrat, tasked with messaging for the Senate, is on the tip to get rid of ICE and replace it with something better: Elizabeth Warren. Saturday she said that Trumpanzee's "deeply immoral actions have made it obvious we need to rebuild our immigration system from top to bottom starting by replacing ICE with something that reflects our morality and that works," pointing in Boston that the orange ape "seems to think that the only way to have immigration rule is to rip parents from their family, is to treat rape victims and refugees like terrorists and to put children in cages. This is ugly and this is wrong and this is not the way to run our country." She's on the same page as Bernie and Kamala Harris.

It could become an issue in the California Senate race where conservative Dianne Feinstein will face a progressive Democrat Kevin de León in November. He supports abolishing ICE, while Feinstein, desperate to win Republican votes to counteract his hold on progressives, is avoiding saying anything specific about ICE.

Just over a week ago, Kaniela Saito Ing, the progressive running for the Honolulu-based congressional seat (in competition with a gaggle of conservatives from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party) wrote an OpEd for Civil Beat, Mobilize To Change ‘Immoral’ Immigration System. You can read the whole thing at the link above. This is a brief excerpt:

In the legislature, I championed investigations into allegations of human trafficking in the long-line fishing industry, fought to pass driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, and introduced the nation’s first Sanctuary State Bill. We can do more. The Sanctuary State Bill passed both chambers, but died in conference. We can make sure it passes next session and elect a governor who promises now to sign it into law. Hawaii’s county councils can work with our police departments to prevent cooperation with ICE. All congressional candidates must support defunding ICE. I am the only candidate at this time to support abolishing ICE in the 1st Congressional District.

It’s important to remember that ICE was only created in 2003. The creation of ICE was a George W. Bush scapegoating tactic to pit us against “others” and help justify the Iraq War. We didn’t need ICE then, and we don’t need it now.

ICE is what our immigration policy looks like when it’s rooted in fear and scarcity. It has become the American Gestapo. Everyday, we continue business as usual and allow ICE to take our neighbors away in the middle of the night; it’s our moral failure that inches us towards authoritarianism.

It’s time for us to lead with humanity and aloha. All of us have a choice. We can choose to allow this moral stain to bleed deeper into the soul of our nation, or come together to fight for aloha.

Meanwhile, Señor Trumpanzee was, once again, on the warpath against due process yesterday: