Our nation has recently been rocked by the horrific events occurring in Minneapolis, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s “largest immigration operation ever” turned into tragedy as two U.S. citizens, Renée Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal agents. These terrible losses have led many to question the organization, with a majority of Americans polled by YouGov believing it is too forceful in its operations.
Following Pretti’s killing, support for ICE’s complete termination reached its highest point ever, with 46 percent of American adults approving of its abolishment. Additionally, independent voters, crucial to both parties in the upcoming 2026 and 2028 elections, believe ICE operations should end, with approval rising to 47 percent and disapproval dropping to 35 percent. When Americans were asked the same question last June, only 27 percent wanted to dissolve ICE, according to YouGov.
These statistics make one thing clear — Americans, including independent voters, no longer see ICE as an acceptable organization.
As a result, many 2026 Democratic congressional candidates have bolstered their campaigns with calls to abolish ICE, including Graham Platner in Maine and Patty Garcia in Illinois, joining existing Democratic representatives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in New York and Delia Ramirez in Illinois, who have previously voiced their disapproval. However, most other Democratic members of Congress have not joined this effort and moderate think tanks such as Third Way and Searchlight Institute have instead advocated for reform. Their concerns are well placed, fearing that an effort to abolish the organization will be weaponized and taken advantage of by Republicans.
Upon further analysis, it becomes clear that ICE is a uniquely toxic organization that will cause any party supporting it to be quickly defeated. In fact, I believe tolerating ICE is not only bad for Democrats but also detrimental for Republicans.
Initially, this may seem like a tough argument, given that only 19 percent of Republicans support abolishing ICE — a number still higher than any other 2026 YouGov poll. However, it is essential to consider the Latino community, a group of voters who were key to Donald Trump winning the presidency. The president’s approval rating has collapsed among their community, falling 23 points since the start of his term, according to CNN analyst Harry Enten.
Immigration has faced the brunt of this collapse, with approval of Trump’s deportation plans starting near the halfway mark after his inauguration, before falling by 34 points. ICE action has also created problems for small businesses in Latino areas when employees and customers avoid them during raids, hurting Trump’s efforts to boost the economy.
The problem lies in the fact that it was these Latino voters who won him the election, making many of those 46 percent of Latino voters less likely to vote for Republicans in 2026 and 2028. This catastrophic loss in the Republican winning coalition has concerned many in the party, with Latinos for Trump co-founder Ileana Garcia warning that ICE’s actions will likely cause Republicans to lose the midterms.
Latino voters who voted for Trump will be essential for the Democratic Party to secure victory in the future. While gaining these votes may be done easily by abolishing the organization that has been permitted by the Supreme Court to racially profile them and terrorize their businesses, convincing people that this action is best is understandably difficult.
The main argument made by the Third Way supporting reform over abolition is that even with ICE’s frequent abhorrent behavior, immigration enforcement is still necessary for immigration laws to function. In other words, voters still want to see immigration enforcement, just without ICE’s current tactics. This may seem like a reason to oppose abolishing ICE, but polling data proves otherwise.
Even with initially radical-sounding language, it is clear that most envision a future with more responsible immigration enforcement — not one where enforcement is eliminated. In fact, a majority of democrats and independents believe the slogan “Abolish ICE” means that the organization should be eliminated and either rebuilt as a more functional organization or have its responsibilities relocated to other agencies.
But why not simply reform ICE, especially if it’s more achievable? Firstly, many of the issues with ICE are caused by the organization’s hiring surge after the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which cut the length of agents’ required training and seemed to seek out ideologues upset by previous relaxed immigration enforcement. If we are to reform ICE, we would have to retrain many officers, therefore requiring a budget increase, likely infuriating voters who see the organization as inhumane.
On the other hand, firing far-right officers and higher-ranking officials who would prioritize force might be necessary for the contradicting objectives of a Democratic administration, which would be likely to curb ICE’s actions. And if you need to fire most of an organization’s staff and completely reorient its goals and conduct, isn’t the result a different organization?
Furthermore, a reformed organization may still be distrusted by the people it was once oppressing. In other words, if ICE actually wants to focus on catching only dangerous criminals, it would need the trust of the communities it operates in. However, considering the polling numbers, I would be hesitant to say that any organization, whether called ICE or acting similarly to ICE, would ever achieve this goal. Any future administration seeking to enforce immigration would likely need a new force to do so if it wishes to succeed.
Throughout the rest of Trump’s term in office, people will continue to debate the realities of abolishing ICE. They will question what form immigration enforcement should take, whether it should be the job of the federal government, and if we even need it at all.
Following these polls proves that abolishing ICE is not some fringe radical idea, but one supported by many politicians and average citizens for the purpose of creating a more humane immigration system. Anyone wishing to take office in 2026 and 2028 must take this movement seriously or risk alienating the countless voters who have become disillusioned with ICE’s wanton cruelty.
Kevin O’Connell is a sophomore majoring in political science.
Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece that represents the view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the staff editorial.