Vote follows July fatal shootings involving ICE officers
The Democratic National Committee, gathered in Austin for its summer meeting, approved two competing resolutions on the future of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. One resolution calls for “concrete reforms” of ICE. The other calls for abolishing the agency, which has been at the center of several fatal encounters, according to the Associated Press.
The votes reflect opposition to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement actions while revealing disagreement within the Democratic Party about how to respond. Both approaches — reform and abolition — were formally endorsed through separate resolutions, allowing each faction a public airing within the party’s formal record.
ICE has been at the heart of a progressive rallying cry since 2018 during Trump’s first term, the Associated Press reported. Calls to address the agency were renewed among some Democrats after two fatal shootings involving ICE officers in July.
While Saturday’s vote gives both factions a procedural record of their positions, the practical effect is limited. The DNC resolutions are not binding on candidates or officeholders and do not constitute the party’s platform.
The official Democratic platform will be drafted at the 2028 convention. In the interim, candidates and lawmakers will continue to determine their own positions on ICE.
The competing resolutions underscore disagreement inside the Democratic Party as it heads into the midterm elections. Some members want structural changes to how ICE operates; others want the agency dissolved entirely. The dual votes allow both positions to appear on the party’s record without forcing a definitive stance ahead of 2028.