More than 100 liberal Democratic elected officials, including several members of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), are urging Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to publicly support abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as reported by the New York Post.
The letter, sent Monday and first obtained by City & State, was signed by more than 100 state lawmakers, New York City Council members and other local elected officials.
Among the signatories were DSA members state Sen. Julia Salazar, D-Brooklyn, Assemblymember Diana Moreno, D-Queens, and New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif.
The group called on Schumer and Jeffries to use their leadership positions to support dismantling the federal immigration enforcement agency.
“Leverage your positions to defund and dismantle this rogue federal agency,” the letter stated.
The lawmakers also acknowledged recent efforts by congressional Democrats to oppose funding for immigration enforcement but argued those actions do not go far enough.
“We applaud recent efforts by congressional Democrats to block funding to Trump’s ICE and Border Patrol, but we must go further. We can no longer ignore the threat that ICE, which has only existed since 2002, poses to our communities and to our democracy,” the letter added.
According to the organizers, the renewed campaign to abolish ICE follows two recent deaths involving ICE officers.
The signatories cited those incidents as the reason for intensifying their push to eliminate the agency altogether.
The latest effort places additional pressure on Democratic leadership as immigration enforcement continues to divide the party.
While progressive activists have increasingly embraced the “Abolish ICE” slogan, top congressional Democrats have generally stopped short of publicly endorsing the complete elimination of the agency.
Jeffries has not adopted the “Abolish ICE” position.
However, he has supported other proposals aimed at limiting ICE operations, including legislation requiring ICE agents to remove face coverings while operating in Congress.
Last week, Jeffries also discussed immigration enforcement during an interview with TikTok creator Aaron Parnas, where he highlighted Democratic opposition to funding additional immigration enforcement initiatives.
“ICE has to be dramatically reformed. Immigration enforcement in this country should be fair, just, and humane. ICE is currently out of control. And perhaps most importantly, we’re not giving a dime to Donald Trump’s violent mass deportation machine,” Jeffries said.
Jeffries also pointed to Democratic willingness to oppose government funding measures tied to immigration enforcement, saying the party was prepared to shut down the government rather than approve additional funding for those efforts.
Schumer likewise has not publicly endorsed abolishing ICE, though his office emphasized the senator’s past opposition to the agency’s actions.
James Martin, a spokesperson for Schumer, referenced a previous government shutdown during President Donald Trump’s administration that centered in part on immigration issues.
“Senator Schumer led the longest shutdown in history to stop ICE’s abuses, and that fight is not over,” Martin said in a statement.
“Democrats will not let up until we stop the killings, cruelty, and end the impunity.”
Despite those comments, Schumer’s office did not indicate support for eliminating ICE as requested in the letter from the progressive lawmakers.
The campaign illustrates the continued pressure Democratic Socialists of America members and other progressive officials are placing on congressional Democratic leadership to move further left on immigration policy.
While many Democrats have supported reforms to immigration enforcement, the proposal to abolish ICE remains one of the most divisive issues within the party.
The letter represents one of the largest coordinated efforts by elected Democratic officials in New York to encourage Schumer and Jeffries to publicly join the “Abolish ICE” movement and advocate for dismantling the federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws in the United States.
