Dem lawmakers announce support for law to abolish ICE

A pair of Democratic lawmakers have said they will support a bill to abolish the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, ABC News reported Thursday. 

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), who introduced a bill that would eliminate the agency, told ABC News that Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) and Mike Capuano (D-Mass.) have indicated they will support the effort.

A spokesman for Grijalva said that the congressman is still waiting to hear the details of Pocan’s proposal before deciding whether to support it.

Grijalva and Capuano would join Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.) and Jim McGovern (Mass.) among congressional Democrats who support abolishing ICE. 

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Capuano is facing a primary challenge from Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, who has made abolishing ICE a central part of her campaign.

While the number of Democrats who publicly support the elimination of ICE has grown in recent weeks, the group remains relatively small. Some lawmakers have said they support examining ICE’s methods, but oppose getting rid of the agency altogether.

ICE has been the target of several protests in recent weeks amid the Trump administration’s controversial “zero tolerance” policy on illegal immigration.

The policy, announced in April, led to the separation of thousands of migrant children from their parents.

Protests have broken out near ICE facilities in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Portland, Ore., in recent days, prompting the agency to put up barriers near entrances or after immigration hearings.

President Trump ripped the protests during a rally on Wednesday night, saying activists are putting ICE agents “in harm’s way.”

“These radical Democrat protesters really want anarchy, but the only response they will find from our government is very strong law and order,” Trump said at a rally in North Dakota.