Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-5) on Wednesday demanded that Democrats go further than just calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). She urged them to work toward abolishing the entire Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
"What I will say is that there is an easier conversation happening today than six, seven years ago when I got to Congress, about what we need to do with ICE, which is to abolish it,” the lawmaker said during a town hall event. “There is a lot of conversation about what the dismantlement of the Department of Homeland Security should look like."
Ilhan Omar says Democrats don’t just want to abolish ICE, they’re already planning how they will dismantle DHS entirely.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 19, 2026
OMAR: “There is a lot of conversation about what the dismantlement of the Department of Homeland Security should look like.” pic.twitter.com/XxPXUUuSPq
Omar’s comments come amid an ongoing lapse in DHS funding. Congress is currently at an impasse, debating whether the funding should be tied to reforms in federal immigration enforcement operations.
The lawmaker argued that ICE and other agencies under DHS “do not have accountability in the way that that formation exists.”
So far, very few Democratic leaders have pushed for tearing down DHS, but have called for reforming ICE. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) explained that Democrats blocked the latest DHS funding bill because it “fails to make any progress on reining in ICE and stopping the violence.”
No more funding DHS. Abolish ICE. pic.twitter.com/sXWvifmhKr
— Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (@RepRashida) February 3, 2026
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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) said any agreement must include “dramatic changes” to check the behavior of ICE and Border Patrol agents.
However, progressive Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-3) concurred with Omar, saying “ICE needs to be abolished, DHS needs to be dismantled” and said the agencies were “rotten from the inside out.”
The debate over the Trump administration’s immigration policies intensified after two high-profile fatal shootings in Minneapolis involving ICE and Border Patrol agents. Critics point to allegations of warrantless home raids and overly aggressive tactics used at protests.
On the other side, those defending ICE say abolishing the agency would cripple the government’s ability to maintain border security and root out dangerous illegal immigrants with criminal records.
A recent YouGov-Economist survey found that 46 percent of Americans support abolishing ICE, compared with 41 percent who oppose it. However, an ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos poll showed that 50 percent of Americans support deporting illegal immigrants while 48 percent opposed it.
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