On Monday’s broadcast of Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power,” Rep. Christian Menefee (D-TX), who was sworn in on Monday evening, discussed ICE and said he backs “fully abolishing the agency. I think you have to rip it down to the studs.” And “I want to abolish it. I think you rip it down to the studs, and when it comes back, it shouldn’t be ICE anymore.”
Co-host Joe Mathieu asked, “Well, let’s get real about what should happen. You said at your victory party that it’s time to tear ICE up from the roots. Is that abolishing the agency or reforming it?”
Menefee answered, “I support fully abolishing the agency. I think you have to rip it down to the studs.”
Mathieu cut in to follow up, “When you rip something down to the studs, though, that usually means you’re going to rebuild it. That’s not so much abolish, that’s replace, no?”
Menefee answered, “No, I want to abolish it. I think you rip it down to the studs, and when it comes back, it shouldn’t be ICE anymore. It should be a different type of law enforcement agency that is built in a way that ensures that communities are going to be protected. You cannot take something that was created and has been radicalized to this level, that has harmed so many people, and try to have minor reforms on it in a way that you think is going to protect people. I think that they are far past the line, and after folks are executed in the street, it’s time to tear it down.”
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