Democrats Split Over Abolishing ICE After Fatal Minneapolis Shootings

The Democratic Party is deeply divided over the future of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a series of fatal incidents in Minneapolis. After federal officers shot and killed two U.S. citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, during a large-scale immigration operation, progressive candidates and organizations like Justice Democrats began calling for the agency's complete abolition.

Peggy Flanagan, the Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, and other progressive figures argue the agency is beyond repair. This sentiment is particularly strong among Gen Z and millennial candidates, with a YouGov poll showing 46 percent of American adults—and nearly 70 percent of those under 30—support dissolving the agency. Protests also emerged in Niles, Michigan, demanding that ICE funding be redirected toward healthcare and infrastructure.

Centrist Democrats and the think tank Third Way have cautioned against the abolition movement, warning that the rhetoric could alienate swing voters in a manner similar to the 2020 "defund the police" movement. Some House Democrats further signaled this fracture by supporting Department of Homeland Security funding without requiring major ICE reforms. The Trump administration has leveraged this divide, framing the calls for abolition as a sign that Democrats are soft on law enforcement.