Overview
#AbolishICE is a movement demanding the dissolution of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which surged in response to family separations and detention conditions under the Trump administration.
Background: ICE History
- Created in 2003 after 9/11 (Homeland Security Act)
- Absorbed functions from INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service)
- Before ICE: immigration enforcement existed but less militarized
- 2017-2020: Enforcement dramatically escalated under Trump
2017-2018: Family Separation Crisis
Zero Tolerance Policy
- April 2018: Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” border policy
- All adults prosecuted criminally, children separated from parents
- Over 5,500 children taken from families (official count)
- Many toddlers, infants separated from mothers
”Tender Age” Shelters
- Babies and toddlers held in converted Walmart stores, tent cities
- Crying audio from detention center leaked (June 2018)
- Viral photo of toddler crying as mother searched by Border Patrol
- Public outrage: “This is America”
#WhereAreTheChildren
- June 2018: 1,500+ children “lost” by government (couldn’t track parents)
- ProPublica audio of children crying for parents went viral
- Nationwide protests: 700+ cities, 2 million+ marchers (June 30, 2018)
#AbolishICE Demands
Core Argument
- ICE is not “immigration reform” - it’s deportation force
- Pre-2003 system worked without ICE
- ICE raids terrorize communities, separate families
- Detention centers = for-profit prisons (GEO Group, CoreCivic)
What Abolish Means
- Dismantle ICE, return functions to other agencies
- Decriminalize migration
- End detention, use alternatives (ankle monitors, check-ins)
- Pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants
Political Momentum
2018 Midterms
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ran on abolishing ICE, won upset primary
- Several progressive candidates adopted platform
- Democratic establishment hesitant: “Abolish ICE” seen as radical
- Helped energize young, progressive voters
Mainstream Shift
- Initially fringe, became 2020 primary debate topic
- Polling: Majority of Democrats supported abolishing or restructuring ICE
- Republicans attacked Democrats as “open borders” advocates
Detention Conditions
Concentration Camp Debate
- June 2019: AOC called detention facilities “concentration camps”
- Backlash from Jewish groups, Holocaust comparisons deemed offensive
- Historians defended term (concentration ≠ death camps)
- Photos of overcrowding, children sleeping on concrete floors
Deaths in Custody
- 2017-2020: Multiple deaths of children in CBP/ICE custody
- Jakelin Caal Maquin (7), Felipe Gómez Alonzo (8) died December 2018
- Inadequate medical care, unsanitary conditions
- Flu outbreaks, COVID-19 spread in detention
Sexual Abuse Allegations
- Whistleblower reported mass hysterectomies at ICE facility (2020)
- Thousands of sexual assault complaints 2010-2017
- Limited investigations, accountability
Direct Actions
ICE Facility Blockades
- Portland, Oregon: Occupy ICE encampment (June 2018, 38 days)
- Activists blocked entrance, shut down deportations temporarily
- Replicated in San Francisco, Philadelphia, Detroit
Corporate Targets
- Campaign against Amazon (sold facial recognition to ICE)
- Microsoft employees protested $19M ICE contract
- GitHub, Chef, Wayfair employees walked out over ICE contracts
- Banks (JPMorgan, Wells Fargo) pressured to divest
Sanctuary Cities
- Cities, states refused cooperation with ICE detainer requests
- Legal battles over “sanctuary” protections
- Federal funding threats
2020: Biden Administration
Campaign Promises
- End for-profit detention
- Stop family separations
- Reunite separated families
- Reform immigration enforcement
Reality
- ICE not abolished
- Some family reunifications (still hundreds separated)
- Detention numbers decreased then increased
- “Kids in cages” persisted (rebranded as “migrant facilities”)
Criticisms
From Right
- “Open borders anarchists”
- “Who will enforce immigration law?”
- Claimed abolitionists want unrestricted entry
From Immigration Reform Advocates
- Some immigrant rights groups cautious: abolition seen as politically toxic
- Preferred “defund and dismantle” vs. outright abolition
- Feared backlash would harm incremental progress
From Abolitionists
- Biden administration didn’t fundamentally change system
- Deportations continued, detention persisted
- “Kids in cages” under Democrat administration too
Intersectionality
Links to Abolition Movements
- #AbolishICE drew parallels to #AbolishPrisons, #DefundThePolice
- Argument: All carceral systems rooted in white supremacy
- Same private contractors profit from prisons, detention centers
Black-Latinx Solidarity
- ICE targeted Black immigrants disproportionately
- Black undocumented immigrants often deported to countries they’d never lived in
- Coalition building between Black Lives Matter, immigrant rights groups
Cultural Impact
- Shifted Overton window: abolishing federal agencies became mainstream discussion
- 2020 racial justice protests linked abolition across systems
- “No human is illegal” gained traction
- Younger generation rejected “good immigrant/bad immigrant” framing