1. United States
2. Wash.
3. Letter

This is a copy of a letter to the editor I submitted earlier today: A new YouGov/Economist poll finds 46% of Americans support abolishing ICE vs. 43% who oppose. This is the first time that abolishing ICE has received net positive support. Abolishing ICE is now more popular than many politicians. This shift in sentiment is a nationwide reflection of the fear and disruption we have felt right here on Whidbey Island. Just last year, a raid at a Langley laundromat took a parent away from our school district. These actions don’t make South Whidbey safer; they destabilize our community, frighten our neighbors, and tear apart local families. The recent tragic killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis by an ICE agent is not an isolated incident but the predictable result of an agency designed for aggressive, militarized enforcement. For too long, ICE has operated with a lack of accountability, tearing apart families and destabilizing communities under the guise of "national security." This month, Congress is set to vote on the Department of Homeland Security budget. This spending bill represents a critical crossroads. Rather than continuing to fund an agency that a plurality of Americans now see as counterproductive, Congress should instead include a provision to abolish ICE entirely. We must return immigration functions to a system that prioritizes humanitarian standards and due process—oversight that is currently non-existent for ICE. Representative Larsen and Senators Murray and Cantwell must listen to the voice of their constituents: it’s time to abolish ICE.