DNC votes to abolish ICE as Democrats lurch left on immigration ahead of 2028

BS BULLETIN

The DNC approved a nonbinding resolution calling on Congress to abolish ICE and wind down immigration detention.
In an extraordinary split, Democrats also approved a separate resolution calling for ICE to be reformed instead.
The abolition measure could become a major litmus test for 2028 presidential hopefuls.

Remember when “Abolish ICE” was supposed to be a slogan from the Democratic Party’s radical fringe?

The fringe just got a vote at the Democratic National Committee.

At its summer meeting in Austin, Texas, the DNC on Saturday approved a nonbinding resolution calling on Democrats in Congress to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement, dissolve the agency and wind down the nation’s immigration detention system.

And because today’s Democratic Party apparently cannot decide whether ICE should disappear or merely be dramatically overhauled, the committee also approved a second resolution calling for reforming ICE rather than abolishing it.

Yes, both passed.

The Democratic National Committee effectively endorsed two competing positions on one of the biggest issues in American politics: Reform the nation’s immigration-enforcement agency — and abolish the nation’s immigration-enforcement agency.

It’s the political equivalent of putting “KEEP OUT” and “WELCOME” on the same front door.

The abolition resolution calls on Democratic members of Congress to pass legislation dissolving ICE and winding down the immigration detention system. It also seeks restrictions on Department of Homeland Security funding unless enforcement practices including workplace raids, courthouse arrests, large-scale roundups and certain operations near schools and houses of worship are stopped.

The resolution is nonbinding, an important distinction. It does not abolish ICE, change federal law or automatically become the Democratic Party’s 2028 platform.

But politically? Republicans could hardly ask for a cleaner campaign issue.

The Democratic Party’s formal 2028 platform won’t be adopted until the national convention. But every Democrat contemplating a presidential campaign can now expect to be asked a remarkably simple question: Do you agree with your own national committee that ICE should be abolished?

Good luck with that one in a 30-second debate answer.

The resolution isn’t a spontaneous product of the weekend meeting, either. An earlier version considered by the DNC Resolutions Committee declared that ICE has been associated with “systemic civil rights violations, family separations, prolonged detention” and other practices that, in the resolution’s view, damaged trust between immigrant communities and government.

Supporters argue that abolishing ICE would not mean abolishing all immigration enforcement. ICE itself was created in 2003 after the Department of Homeland Security was established, with immigration functions previously handled by other federal agencies. Abolition advocates want ICE dismantled and its legitimate functions reassigned or replaced by a different system.

That is the argument Democrats will make. Republicans will make another one:

At a moment when immigration and border security remain among the most politically explosive issues in America, the opposition party just put the words ABOLISH ICE into an official DNC resolution.

And even some Democrats understand the danger. Associated Press reporting from Austin described sharp disagreement inside the committee. DNC member Michele Johnson defended the abolition measure, while DNC member Yvonne Reeves-Chong warned that the issue risked distracting Democrats and alienating voters.

DNC Chairman Ken Martin tried to bridge the divide, arguing that Democrats remain united in their opposition to President Trump’s immigration enforcement approach even when they disagree about what should replace it.

That bridge may need additional structural support. Because the vote comes as the Democratic Party is already fighting an increasingly public civil war between its establishment and a resurgent socialist left.

Progressives have scored high-profile victories in recent Democratic primaries, while Democratic Socialists of America-backed candidates are pushing proposals that only a few election cycles ago would have been considered politically radioactive.

“Abolish ICE” is one of them.

And immigration isn’t the only issue on which progressives pushed the DNC leftward at the Austin gathering. A DNC committee also advanced a resolution connected to restricting U.S. military assistance to Israel, another issue exposing a widening ideological divide inside the party.

The stakes become even more interesting when you look toward 2028.

The DNC used the same Austin meeting to approve a new presidential primary calendar putting South Carolina first, followed by Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Michigan and Virginia. That means potential presidential candidates are already positioning themselves for a nomination contest in which the activist base will matter enormously.

So no, Saturday’s ICE resolution does not “ensure” that the 2028 Democratic nominee will campaign on abolishing ICE. But it does something politically significant: It moves the demand from protest signs and progressive campaigns into the Democratic Party’s national governing body.

And now every Democrat who wants to be president gets to decide whether to embrace it, reject it — or attempt the ancient Washington maneuver of explaining for seven minutes why the answer to a yes-or-no question is actually “it’s complicated.”

Republicans will be waiting with the cameras rolling.

MY QUICK TAKE:

I need to congratulate the Democratic National Committee. It takes real talent to pass two resolutions that disagree with each other and call it progress.

Should we abolish ICE? YES!

Should we reform ICE? ALSO YES!

Excellent meeting, everybody. Lunch is down the hall.

But here’s where this gets fun.

Imagine the 2028 Democratic presidential debates. Moderator: “Do you support abolishing ICE?” Candidate: “Well, what I support is comprehensive, humane, community-centered—”

Moderator: “Yes or no?” Candidate: “Donald Trump—”

BUZZZZZZ.

Next candidate.

This has “defund the police” written all over it. First, activists insist everybody is deliberately misunderstanding a perfectly reasonable proposal. Then Republicans put the actual words on television. Then candidates explain that “abolish” doesn’t necessarily mean abolish. Then somebody discovers a three-year-old video of the candidate chanting “ABOLISH ICE!”

And suddenly CNN has a panel explaining why voters simply aren’t sophisticated enough to appreciate the nuance.

Here’s some free political advice for Democrats: If you don’t want Republicans telling voters you’re the party of “Abolish ICE,” there is one extremely complicated maneuver you can perform. Don’t vote for a resolution that says abolish ICE.

You’re welcome.

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