A center-left think tank is urging Democrats to abandon the “Abolish ICE” rallying cry, warning that the slogan threatens to sabotage any chance at immigration enforcement reform while playing directly into Republican hands.
Third Way released a memo on Tuesday responding to a surge of progressive demands to eliminate Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old anti-ICE activist Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis after she attempted to run the agent over with her vehicle.
While the memo acknowledges that many Democrats see the Trump administration’s immigration policies as excessive and lawless, it also warns that frustration cannot justify scrapping enforcement altogether.
The group argues that Democrats need to distinguish between reforming abusive practices and destroying the institution responsible for upholding immigration law.
“Moments like this can and should provoke anger and demands for dramatic action,” the memo explains. “In the wake of Good’s death and a growing number of disturbing immigration enforcement incidents, calls to abolish ICE have once again surged on the left. The impulse is emotional. The slogan is simple. But politically, it is lethal.”
The memo, authored by Sarah Pierce and Lanae Erickson, warns the Democratic Party that calls to abolish ICE “risks squandering one of the clearest opportunities in years to secure meaningful reform of immigration enforcement—while handing Republicans exactly the fight they want.”
The memo insists that “The goal is not to eliminate enforcement. It is to ensure enforcement is lawful, targeted, and worthy of public trust.”
The think tank even drew a direct parallel to the 2020 “defund the police” movement, which became toxic within the Democratic Party and likely cost them some seats in multiple cycles
Democrats have seen this movie before with calls to “defund the police” after lethal, law enforcement abuses that stoked racial tensions. We know how this movie ends.
Calls to abolish ICE follow the same script. It would be a tragedy built upon a tragedy if Democratic overreach allowed the inexcusable killing of Renee Good at the hands of ICE to be used to the advantage of Donald Trump and a Republican Party that is sympathetic to its excesses. Republicans understand this. They have deployed the “Abolish ICE” phrase to their advantage before and will use it as a political lifeline again.
It’s hard to argue that progressive slogans that sound anti-law enforcement don’t cost Democrats politically and shut down space for substantive policy change. And the think tank’s argument rests on a pragmatic political calculation based on the most recent national election. Voters responded to what they perceived as weak enforcement under President Biden.
What Third Way misses is that Trump is following through on his campaign promise to launch the “largest deportation program in American history” if elected. They see an opening for Democrats to stake out the middle ground, focused on accountability and restraint, rather than abolishing the agency.
“The lesson is clear: when the debate sinks into polarizing slogans that read as anti-law or anti-safety, space for practical reform disappears,” the memo warns.
But what we’re seeing nationwide reflects a party with no interest in the middle ground. Blue states and cities have declared themselves sanctuaries for illegal immigrants, and local leaders are actively pushing for ICE to leave their jurisdictions, not tone down their activities.
“Immigration laws are meaningless if they are not enforced,” Third Way argues. “And they can be enforced in ways that protect public safety, respect legal norms, and uphold civil liberties. Voters understand this.”
While voters get it, Democrats in Washington, D.C., do not.
But not everyone in the party is on board. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) recently reiterated her position that ICE should be abolished, not reformed.
Speaking on MSNOW this week, Pressley made it clear she doesn’t believe ICE should exist.
“I will continue to demand an independent and thorough investigation, continue to call on Congress in this moment to use appropriations and the power of the purse to rein in ICE,” Pressley said. “Again, I believe it should be abolished. We need public hearings and accountability.“
ICE cannot be reformed. It must be abolished. pic.twitter.com/ouRBFD0BtD
— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) January 11, 2026
It’s doubtful Democrats will shift toward a more moderate stance on immigration enforcement. Democrats have clearly signaled that their priority is to resist Trump at every turn, not to compromise.
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