NV-Sen: GOP Sen. Heller and Democratic challenger Rosen agree — abolishing ICE won't fix immigration

A movement to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement has some Democrats jumping further left than ever, but both Republican Sen. Dean Heller and Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen agree that eliminating the agency won't fix the problems with immigration, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

After 28-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez won the Democratic primary over establishment incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley in New York on a platform of democratic socialism and abolishing ICE, a number of Democrats have latched on to that cause to boost their own profiles — possibly to their own detriment in general elections.

"If they're going to move so far left to win these primaries, they're not going to be successful in the general," said Alice Stewart, GOP strategist and CNN contributor.

What do Heller and Rosen say?

Heller, a longtime Republican senator who is aligned with President Donald Trump, is firmly against abolishing ICE. Here's a statement from his office:

Sen. Heller is against abolishing ICE. This agency within the Department of Homeland Security plays an important role in identifying and combating human trafficking, drug trafficking, potential terrorists, cybercriminals, and child predators. While he believes that our immigration system is broken and in need of significant reform, abolishing this agency is not the answer. Sen. Heller remains focused on solutions, such as legislation that he introduced to make the policy of keeping families together permanent, and hopes that Senate Democrats will help him send the Keep Families Together and Enforce the Law Act to the president’s desk.

Rosen, who is challenging Heller for his Senate seat, was initially accused of dodging the subject by Huffington Post. She later issued a statement on the matter via her campaign, saying she does not support abolishing ICE and putting the blame on the Trump administration:

Jacky doesn’t believe abolishing ICE is the right way to fix the Trump administration’s harmful policies and cruel anti-immigrant agenda. The agency is responsible for more than just immigration enforcement, also overseeing areas like cybercrime investigations and counterterrorism work. Jacky strongly believes we need comprehensive immigration reform that improves border security in smart ways, grows Nevada’s economy, and provides a path to full and equal citizenship.

What is Abolish ICE all about?

Abolish ICE has become a loosely organized entity with a stated goal "to abolish ICE and create an immigration system divorced from white supremacy, and that respects the dignity of all human beings."

"We are doing this by mainstreaming the idea in political discourse, pushing current elected officials and candidates to adopt abolishing ICE as part of their platform, and partnering with organizations and individuals who are at the front lines of immigration advocacy and supporting immigrant communities," the group's goal states.

High-profile Democratic politicians such as Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts have joined the Abolish ICE movement.

Abolish ICE — and then what?

To this point, however, the Abolish ICE movement has not come with any specific plans for how the agency's numerous functions, many of which have nothing to do with deportations, would be replaced. Possibly for that reason, among others, many Democrats are staying away from a movement that's too far left even for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Meanwhile, Trump is encouraging the Democrats to lose themselves in the hysteria leading into midterms.

"Well, I hope they keep thinking about it (abolishing ICE)," Trump said Sunday on Fox News. "Because they're going to get beaten so badly."