While Democrats have aligned on border security messaging, the party remains split on whether to reform or abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as the midterm elections approach.

Democratic candidates across the U.S. are struggling to reach a consensus on how to address Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with less than three months until Election Day. While many party members agree on the need for a secure border, candidates are divided between calls for agency reform and demands to abolish the organization entirely. This internal friction persists even as the party attempts to move past the political backlash associated with the Biden administration's previous border policies.

Polling and Internal Disagreement

A POLITICO poll conducted in August found that 51 percent of moderate Democrats and 67 percent of progressive Democrats support abolishing ICE, compared to only 21 percent of undecided midterm voters. The divide was recently highlighted at a Democratic National Committee meeting in Austin, where members failed to agree on a unified stance, ultimately passing dueling resolutions that called for both reform and abolition.

Diverging Candidate Strategies

Candidates in battleground states are adopting varied approaches to the issue. In Texas, Rep. Henry Cuellar and other candidates are pushing for specific oversight measures, such as mandatory body cameras and judicial warrants for home entries. Conversely, Senate nominees in states like Maine and Michigan have explicitly called to abolish the agency. Some candidates, such as Michigan's William Lawrence, have recently softened their rhetoric, shifting focus toward constitutional adherence rather than specific agency status.