DNC Votes to Back Eliminating ICE as Trump Expands Deportations
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The Democratic National Committee approved a resolution Saturday urging Democratic lawmakers to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a dramatic escalation in the party's increasingly confrontational stance toward the agency as President Donald Trump expands deportation efforts. The vote came during the DNC's summer meeting in Austin, Texas, where members also approved a separate resolution calling for reforms to the agency, highlighting differing views within the party over whether ICE should be abolished or restructured.
The resolution goes beyond calls for reform. It urges Democratic members of Congress to enact legislation abolishing ICE, wind down the immigration detention system, restrict Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding unless certain enforcement activities end, and terminate contracts with private detention providers.
The vote comes as immigration enforcement has become one of the Democratic Party 's most contentious issues ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with some candidates embracing increasingly aggressive criticism of ICE while party strategists debate how far Democrats should go on an issue where Republicans traditionally hold an advantage with voters.
Newsweek reached out to the Democratic National Committee, ICE and the White House for comment on Saturday.
The resolution calls on Democratic lawmakers to "craft legislation abolishing ICE" and pursue broader immigration reforms that provide pathways to citizenship and protections for workers.
It also urges Democrats in Congress to condition DHS funding until the department ends a range of enforcement practices, including workplace raids, mass roundups, arrests at courthouses, arrests at ICE check-ins, enforcement actions near schools and houses of worship , and other operations.
Among its most sweeping provisions, the resolution calls for:
The resolution argues that immigration detention is a civil rather than criminal matter and contends that detained immigrants should generally be allowed to pursue their cases while not being held in custody.
Saturday's vote is not binding and does not establish the Democratic Party's official platform, which will be determined at the party's 2028 national convention. However, it offers a snapshot of how many Democratic activists and party officials are approaching immigration enforcement ahead of the midterm elections.
The vote highlights how rapidly the party's conversation around ICE has evolved.
Just months ago, top congressional Democrats stopped short of calling for the agency's elimination while demanding significant reforms.
In February, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer released a list of proposed changes to ICE operations, including restrictions on enforcement activities, identification requirements for agents, body-camera mandates, limits on arrests in sensitive locations and new oversight measures.
Those proposals included banning face coverings for immigration agents, requiring visible identification, restricting enforcement near schools and churches, expanding body-camera requirements and imposing additional use-of-force standards.
While those proposals focused on reforming ICE , the newly approved DNC resolution goes considerably further by explicitly urging lawmakers to abolish the agency altogether and wind down the broader detention system. The DNC also approved a separate resolution calling for what it described as "concrete reforms" to ICE, highlighting an ongoing debate within the party over whether the agency should be eliminated or fundamentally restructured.
The development comes as anti-ICE rhetoric has become increasingly common in Democratic primaries across the country, particularly in races where immigration enforcement operations have become high-profile political issues.
The resolution arrives at a delicate moment for Democrats.
While opposition to ICE has energized progressive activists and some Democratic primary voters, polling has suggested that immigration remains a complicated political issue for the party .
A June Newsweek analysis found that Democrats were increasingly centering ICE in campaign messaging heading into the midterms, even as surveys showed voters remained more concerned about inflation, affordability and the broader economy.
Those same polls found Republicans continued to hold advantages on immigration and border security.
That dynamic has produced an ongoing debate inside Democratic politics. Progressive activists argue that aggressive immigration enforcement and ICE operations have become politically and morally untenable, while some strategists caution that focusing too heavily on ICE risks shifting attention away from issues voters rank as higher priorities.
The DNC vote is likely to intensify that debate as Democrats seek to regain ground in Congress while confronting Trump's immigration policies.
DNC Chair Ken Martin told the Associated Press that Democrats remain united in opposing the administration's current immigration approach, even if they disagree over whether ICE should be abolished or reformed.
"Clearly, the one thing that unites Democrats, regardless of their position on reform versus abolish … is people believe that what ICE is doing right now … should stop," Martin said.
At the same time, the resolution gives Republicans a fresh opportunity to argue that Democrats have moved too far left on immigration, an issue where GOP candidates have traditionally performed more strongly in national polling.
The resolution also comes as the Trump administration pursues an aggressive deportation campaign and expands immigration enforcement operations .
Since returning to office, Trump has made deportations and immigration enforcement central pillars of his…
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