Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) firmly rejected calls to dismantle Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Thursday, continuing to distance himself from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
“ICE performs an important job for our country,” Fetterman posted on X. “Any calls to abolish ICE are [100 percent] inappropriate and outrageous.”
His statement comes amid ongoing protests from some Democrats opposing ICE’s role in enforcing immigration laws during President Trump’s recent crackdown. Protests have included demonstrations at detention centers and immigration courts, resulting in several arrests of activists and Democratic figures.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), former head of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, reiterated her past support for abolishing ICE in a post Thursday, calling it a “rogue agency that doesn’t follow the law and has zero oversight or accountability.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also drew criticism after renewing her call to dismantle the agency in a fundraising email.
When asked earlier this week on ABC’s The View about growing calls to eliminate ICE, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) avoided directly supporting or opposing the idea. Instead, he stressed the need for “aggressive oversight” of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security due to what he called “overly aggressive behavior.”
Fetterman has consistently portrayed himself as separate from the party’s progressive faction. Speaking to NBC News last year, he said, “I just think I’m a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things. But with Israel, I’m going to be on the right side of that. And immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we do have to effectively address it as well.”
In a follow-up post Thursday, Fetterman clarified that while he supports enforcement, he also backs immigration reform.
“Absolutely support amnesty for the hardworking, otherwise law-abiding migrant workers,” he wrote. “Round up and deport the criminals.”
He added, “We must acknowledge the critical contribution migrants make to our nation’s economy.”
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