My personal experience has exposed me to the harsh realities of the zero tolerance and family separation policies set by the Trump administration. I, along with countless others, have been on the receiving end of policies that have led to unending trauma. It is high time we call for the abolition of the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) 

Under both the first and second Trump administrations, ICE has operated under a cloud of controversy with policies that prioritize deportation over the human rights of immigrants, most notoriously the family separation policy of 2018. According to a report from the American Civil Liberties Union, more than 5,400 children were separated at the border during this time. This process not only breaks families apart but also exposes women and children to dangers such as human trafficking and violence against women and children.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement was created in 2003, as part of the newly formed U.S. Department of Homeland Security(DHS). The agency's young age has been a point of discussion, with proponents of Abolish ICE arguing that the United States can easily do without an agency that has only existed for less than twenty years.

Commentators have noted that U.S. Customs and Border Protection, not ICE, is the ONLY federal law enforcement agency whose sole responsibility is border enforcement, so abolishing ICE alone would end the ability of the United States to enforce over the controversial practice of family separation  

Abolish ICE is a political movement that seeks the abolition of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The movement gained mainstream traction in June 2018 following controversy of the Trump administration family separation policy. The movement proposes that ICE's responsibilities be subsumed by other existing immigration agencies, as was the case before its creation. Discussions are particularly focused on the enforcement wing of ICE.

On June 6, 2025, protests began in Los Angeles after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents raided several city locations to arrest individuals allegedly involved in illegal immigration to the United States. Some protests turned into riots after protestors clashed with the Los Angeles Police Department(LAPD) and ICE, but most remained peaceful and occurred within a small stretch of downtown Los Angeles.

On June 7, protestors and federal law enforcement agents clashed in Paramount and Compton during raids. President Donald Trumpresponded by federalizing the California National Guard, calling for 2,000 guard members to deploy to the city under Joint Task Force 51. Protests have been organized and attended by multiple groups and unaffiliated protestors. On June 9, the president authorized the deployment of an additional 2,000 National Guard members, and the Pentagon activated 700 Marines to deploy to the city, who arrived the next day. Critics, including California governor Gavin Newsom (who has sued Trump over the federalization), described the military response as premature, inflammatory, for political gain, and authoritarian. Reutersreported that the protests were the strongest domestic backlash to Trump since he took office in January, and became a focal point in a national debate over immigration, protest, the use of federal force in domestic affairs, the boundaries of presidential power, and freedom of speech and assembly.

The anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles inspired additional anti-ICE protests in other U.S. cities, such as New York, Chicago, and Dallas.

On January 7, 2026, Renée Nicole Macklin Good, a 37-year-old US citizen, was fatally shot by a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Good was in her car at the scene of an ongoing ICE operation when she was approached by agents who, according to an eyewitness, gave conflicting orders.

 As Good began to leave the scene, an agent reached in the driver side window. A separate agent fired three shots and killed Good as the vehicle moved forward.

On January 24, 2026, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, a 37-year-old American intensive care nurse for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, was shot multiple times and killed by two United States Customs and Border Protection officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The incident occurred amid widespread protests against Operation Metro Surge, especially following the killing of Renée Good on January 7 by a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent.

Please sign this petition to abolish the Immigration Customs Enforcement Agency for justice, humanity, and fairness in our immigration system.