Radical Shift: Democrats Target Full Abolition of ICE and DHS in Immigration Overhaul

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., signaled on Wednesday that national Democrats are advancing sweeping changes to immigration policy that extend far beyond abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Speaking at a town hall meeting in Golden Valley, Minnesota, Omar stated that Democrats are actively discussing the complete elimination of ICE and the dismantling of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) entirely.

“What I will say is that there is an easier conversation happening today than six, seven years ago when I got to Congress, about what we need to do with ICE, which is to abolish it,” Omar told attendees.

She added, “There is a lot of conversation about what the dismantlement of the Department of Homeland Security should look like.”

The remarks follow Democratic efforts to protest federal immigration enforcement operations under President Donald Trump. ICE, established in 2003 under DHS, has conducted immigration enforcement actions for more than two decades.

Thursday marked the sixth day of a federal shutdown forced by congressional Democrats over their demands to reform ICE.

Democrats are pushing new restrictions on ICE operations, including banning agents from wearing face masks and requiring judicial warrants before arrests. They also advocate for body cameras for ICE officers—a measure the Trump administration has begun implementing—and prohibit enforcement at sensitive sites such as hospitals, schools, and polling locations.

Republicans have criticized these proposals, noting that DHS oversees 22 agencies critical to national security, including Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, Secret Service, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat who lost the 2024 election to Trump and Vice President JD Vance, warned that federal enforcement efforts could expand nationwide: “To Americans who are watching this, if you’re in Portland or you’re in L.A., or you’re in Chicago, or you’re wherever, they’re coming next.”

Republicans have maintained that ICE’s actions are lawful operations carried out by federal authorities to uphold immigration law.