#ICEOutOfLA and the broader #AbolishICE movement surged in June 2018 following public outrage over the Trump administration’s family separation policy at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Zero tolerance policy (April-June 2018): Over 2,800 children separated from parents. Images of kids in chain-link “cages” sparked nationwide protests.
Occupy ICE: Protesters occupied ICE facilities in Portland, Philadelphia, Los Angeles demanding agency abolition.
June 30, 2018: 750+ “Families Belong Together” marches nationwide; 500,000+ participants.
The movement called for defunding/abolishing ICE, decriminalizing border crossings, and redesigning immigration enforcement. While ICE wasn’t abolished, the issue became central to 2020 Democratic primary debates.
Sources:
- ACLU family separation tracker: https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention/family-separation
- Vox explainer: https://www.vox.com/2018/6/11/17443198/children-immigrant-families-separated-parents