WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today 226 House Republicans and 18 House Democrats voted in favor of a nonbinding resolution expressing support for all U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and personnel, and denouncing calls to abolish the agency.
The following is a statement by Ali Noorani, Executive Director of the National Immigration Forum:
“Today House members prioritized a nonbinding resolution that takes no action to improve the effectiveness or oversight of ICE. What would help ensure all Americans’ safety is meaningful, tangible immigration reform.
“Solutions should include clear distinctions among the responsibilities of federal, state and local law enforcement. Our nation’s safety and security are paramount, and many ICE officers are doing critical work. But ICE’s enforcement arm clearly needs major reform so it can prioritize safety threats. Even fellow ICE agents are expressing concern that Enforcement and Removal Operations’ troubling practices are hurting the agency’s ability to keep us safe.
“Rather than staking out political territory, members of Congress should vote on existing bipartisan legislation that solves actual problems. The Americans who elected them want and deserve solutions.”