Progressive Democrats are renewing their calls to repress, or even abolish, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after an illegal immigrant was deported this week – days after the Biden government decided to put a moratorium on deportations.
“ICE is a dishonest agency. With the help of right-wing agents in the federal bank, ICE is choosing to ignore the @POTUS deportation moratorium,” said Rep. Mondaire Jones, D-NY.
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“ICE must be controlled. My community is tired of seeing our family, friends and neighbors being pulled from their homes,” he said.
“#AbolishICE”, tweeted Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.
The tweets came in response to the deportation of a 40-year-old immigrant to Haiti, despite claims by lawyers and family members that he is not a citizen of the country.
“On February 2, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) removed Paul Pierrilus, a citizen of Haiti, from his home country,” said ICE in a statement.
The agency said it had received government approval to deport Pierrilus, who said he was convicted of selling narcotics and was deported in 2004 – and had several appeals dismissed.
But Jones quoted a tweet from the Haitian ambassador to the United States that said Pierrilus was not a citizen and could not be deported.
“Paul should be with his family now in Rockland County.” Jones tweeted. “I will not rest until he is, and until we have built a humane and just immigration system.”
The Abolish ICE movement took off in 2019 amid controversies over President Donald Trump’s immigration policies and as the Democratic Party moved to the left on the issue of illegal immigration. Presidential candidates and lawmakers supported calls to abolish the agency entirely and make illegal immigration just a civil crime.
Biden did not support calls to abolish the agency, but promised to impose a 100-day moratorium on deportations. Last week, its Department of Homeland Security did just that, but was suspended amid a Texas lawsuit, which cited a deal in the last days of the Trump administration that says DHS should consult with Texas before taking such steps.
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The changes are part of an initial set of broad immigration reforms that Biden has implemented since taking office. He suspended construction of the wall on the southern border, reversed Trump-era travel bans, set up a task force for the reunification of families separated by his predecessor, and proposed to provide a citizenship path for millions of illegal immigrants.
But despite these measures, he will likely continue to face pressure from activists and leftist Democrats to go even further.
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Other progressive Democrats also called for Biden to abolish the ICE entirely. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, a member of the “squad”, renewed her call for the agency’s abolition after she moved to deport another illegal immigrant last month.
“People need to understand the depth of what is happening here: the President of the United States has ordered deportations to be suspended. ICE, a federal agency, refuses to comply, ”she said.
“There is no way to reform this dishonest department. It is time for a new fair view.”