The Democrats' inaction on ICE is a national embarrassment. When two U.S. citizens were shot to death in the streets of Minneapolis, Americans might have expected a forceful response from the country's nominal opposition party. Unfortunately, that party is the Democrats, and their refusal to react proportionally to the threat of President Donald Trump and his army of secret police with "absolute immunity" is only making things worse.
Even before Alex Pretti was shot dead on Saturday – in the back, seconds after his concealed and holstered gun was disarmed by federal agents – the brutality of ICE and Customs and Border Protection's occupation of Minneapolis demanded definitive action. But Democrats delivered nothing but empty gestures and platitudes.
At the federal level, seven House Democrats, including mainstream media darling Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and outgoing Maine Rep. Jared Golden, voted with their GOP counterparts last week to pass a bill giving even more money to ICE. That vote came after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declined to whip his caucus into opposing the legislation, instead simply "recommending" a no vote.
Senate Democrats reportedly plan to kill the bill – knowing it would force a government shutdown – but their commitment to holding the line must be treated with suspicion. One notable exception is Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., who introduced legislation to restrict ICE's use of force, a bill she's characterized as "the bare minimum." Even that bill is unlikely to pass through the GOP-controlled House.
On the ground in Minnesota, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz was unable to meet the moment as early as January 7, when Renee Good was killed. Rather than forcefully show up for his constituents, Walz prioritized preemptively scolding protesters, posting: "Trump wants a show. Don't give it to him."
While Walz has been clear that he is angry over ICE's presence in the state and has asked that they leave, he's failed to provide any clear directives or policy proposals for expelling the agency from his state. Attorney General Keith Ellison has yet to bring any charges against Jonathan Ross, Good's killer, something Walz could order him to do under state law.
What Walz did do on January 20, days before Pretti's killing, was to invite the president to "join me, and others in our community, to help restore calm and order and reaffirm that true public safety comes from shared purpose, trust, and respect." Mere hours after Pretti's killing – and, importantly, drawing on the same playbook used with Good's killing – the administration made clear there was no "shared purpose, trust, and respect" to "reaffirm" with Minnesota.
The Democratic base has been demanding action on ICE for months. Eager to make political hay, Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat with his sights set on the Senate seat held by Ed Markey, called ICE "cowards" and threatened to defund the agency and prosecute its officers. But most elected Democrats fall short of calling to abolish the institution outright – a position now held by a plurality of voters.
Leaders like Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Democratic Governors Association, vaguely called on Saturday for "transparency and accountability" after "what happened today in Minneapolis," without specifying what concrete steps might be taken to deliver either.
The Democrats' refusal to take a stand against ICE is not just a matter of politics – it's a betrayal of their constituents. It's a reminder that the party is trapped in a world of its own creation, where committing to anything that might alienate mythical moderate conservative voters or, more importantly, donors, is anathema.
The party needs to wake up to the role we sorely need them to play and take action, before it's too late. Anything less would be a dereliction of duty and a betrayal of the public trust.
Even before Alex Pretti was shot dead on Saturday – in the back, seconds after his concealed and holstered gun was disarmed by federal agents – the brutality of ICE and Customs and Border Protection's occupation of Minneapolis demanded definitive action. But Democrats delivered nothing but empty gestures and platitudes.
At the federal level, seven House Democrats, including mainstream media darling Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez and outgoing Maine Rep. Jared Golden, voted with their GOP counterparts last week to pass a bill giving even more money to ICE. That vote came after House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries declined to whip his caucus into opposing the legislation, instead simply "recommending" a no vote.
Senate Democrats reportedly plan to kill the bill – knowing it would force a government shutdown – but their commitment to holding the line must be treated with suspicion. One notable exception is Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Ill., who introduced legislation to restrict ICE's use of force, a bill she's characterized as "the bare minimum." Even that bill is unlikely to pass through the GOP-controlled House.
On the ground in Minnesota, Democratic Gov. Tim Walz was unable to meet the moment as early as January 7, when Renee Good was killed. Rather than forcefully show up for his constituents, Walz prioritized preemptively scolding protesters, posting: "Trump wants a show. Don't give it to him."
While Walz has been clear that he is angry over ICE's presence in the state and has asked that they leave, he's failed to provide any clear directives or policy proposals for expelling the agency from his state. Attorney General Keith Ellison has yet to bring any charges against Jonathan Ross, Good's killer, something Walz could order him to do under state law.
What Walz did do on January 20, days before Pretti's killing, was to invite the president to "join me, and others in our community, to help restore calm and order and reaffirm that true public safety comes from shared purpose, trust, and respect." Mere hours after Pretti's killing – and, importantly, drawing on the same playbook used with Good's killing – the administration made clear there was no "shared purpose, trust, and respect" to "reaffirm" with Minnesota.
The Democratic base has been demanding action on ICE for months. Eager to make political hay, Rep. Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democrat with his sights set on the Senate seat held by Ed Markey, called ICE "cowards" and threatened to defund the agency and prosecute its officers. But most elected Democrats fall short of calling to abolish the institution outright – a position now held by a plurality of voters.
Leaders like Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, chair and vice chair, respectively, of the Democratic Governors Association, vaguely called on Saturday for "transparency and accountability" after "what happened today in Minneapolis," without specifying what concrete steps might be taken to deliver either.
The Democrats' refusal to take a stand against ICE is not just a matter of politics – it's a betrayal of their constituents. It's a reminder that the party is trapped in a world of its own creation, where committing to anything that might alienate mythical moderate conservative voters or, more importantly, donors, is anathema.
The party needs to wake up to the role we sorely need them to play and take action, before it's too late. Anything less would be a dereliction of duty and a betrayal of the public trust.
Can't believe the Democrats are doing NOTHING to stop ICE from terrorizing US cities 
They're just sitting on their hands while innocent people get killed and protesters get intimidated 
It's like they're more worried about keeping Trump happy than protecting their own constituents 
What's going on, is this a coordinated effort to let ICE run amok? 
The lack of action from the Democratic party is an insult to the American public 
and Democrats are MIA on taking action about it... it's like they're playing defense instead of being the opposition party they're supposed to be 
. They should be all over President Trump for this, but nope, too scared to rock the boat 
. Even when two people got shot dead in the city, no forceful response from them 
. And now, some House Democrats voted to give more money to ICE? What's going on?! 
The party needs to step up its game and take a stand against this injustice 
.
It's like they're more worried about being liked by the GOP voters than actually doing what's right for their constituents. And honestly, it feels like they're just waiting for someone else to take a stand so they can say "see, we told you so". 
). They need to take a strong stance on this issue and show that they're willing to put up or shut up. Anything less is just not going to cut it. 
. And don't even get me started on Governor Walz - instead of taking action to expel ICE from Minnesota, he's over here giving speeches and scolding protesters 
!
I'm so frustrated with our Dem leaders on this ICE thing... where's the fire? 
... Meanwhile, 7 House Dems voted to give more cash to thoseICE agents 
... talk about a national embarrassment! 
And what's with Governor Walz not taking action against ICE? 
THE FACT THAT REP MARIE GLUESENKAMP PEREZ AND JARED GOLDEN WENT ALONG WITH THE BILL GIVING MORE MONEY TO ICE IS JUST DISGUSTING!!! 
AND WHAT'S UP WITH GOV TIM WALZ NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT ICE IN MINNESOTA?! HE JUST POSTS A FEW SENSATIONALIST PHOTOS AND CALLS FOR CALM?! 
NO THANKS, WALZ!!!
This whole thing with ICE just makes me wanna scream... I mean, what happened in Minneapolis was totally unacceptable & it's crazy that Democrats are being so weak on this issue 
this whole thing is so sad, folks... i think what's really going on here is that our politicians are more worried about being liked by everyone than standing up for what's right... they're afraid to take a strong stance against ICE because they don't want to alienate some of their donors or voters... 
but ultimately, it's all about doing what's right, not just what's popular 
. And what's up with Gov Walz not taking action to get ICE out of Minneapolis? He just talks tough, but where's the beef? 
. But if you ask me, ICE is a big part of the problem and needs to be held accountable 
. We need leaders who are willing to take a stand and fight for what's right, not just sit on their hands 
. We need leaders who are willing to take risks and challenge the status quo, not just play it safe 
.
! 
I cant believe what Im seeing here! The Democrats are literally failing to hold ICE accountable for all these brutal attacks and killings... its like they're just sitting on their hands 
. And to make matters worse, some of them even voted in favor of giving more funds to ICE 
.
. It's like they're stuck in a world of their own creation, where pleasing donors is more important than doing what's right