Ilhan Omar Pushes to Abolish ICE and Dismantle DHS

Rep. Ilhan Omar is once again turning up the heat on federal immigration enforcement this time openly calling for abolishing ICE and discussing the dismantlement of the Department of Homeland Security.

During a town hall event, the Minnesota Democrat was asked directly, “How do we get ICE out of America?” Her answer left little ambiguity.

“There is a lot of conversation about what we need to do with ICE, which is to abolish it,” Omar said, adding that discussions are underway about what dismantling the Department of Homeland Security should look like.

The remarks have reignited a national debate over immigration enforcement, border security, and the very structure of post-9/11 homeland defense.

The Department of Homeland Security was created in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks the deadliest attack on American soil in modern history. Nearly 3,000 people were killed and more than 6,000 injured when 19 al-Qaeda hijackers struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and crashed a fourth plane in Pennsylvania.

In response, Congress passed the Homeland Security Act of 2002, consolidating 22 federal agencies and roughly 180,000 employees under one umbrella. DHS officially began operations in 2003.

Its core missions included:

• Counterterrorism and intelligence coordination

• Border security through Customs and Border Protection and ICE

• Emergency response via FEMA

• Infrastructure and cybersecurity protection

Today, DHS employs approximately 260,000 personnel, making it one of the largest federal departments. Its responsibilities have expanded to include election security and cyber defense alongside immigration enforcement.

Omar argued that the structure created after 9/11 lacks accountability and has led to what she described as “brutality” in immigration enforcement. She suggested that if lawmakers are unwilling to revert to pre-2002 agency structures, they must consider building a different system entirely.

Calls to abolish ICE first surged in 2018, but polling at the time showed the idea faced broad public skepticism. A 2018 Harvard-Harris survey found that only 25% of voters supported eliminating ICE, while 69% opposed it. While immigration remains politically divisive, outright abolition has not become a mainstream position nationally.

Still, progressive lawmakers continue to press for sweeping structural changes.

Omar’s renewed push comes amid historic strain at the southern border. U.S. Customs and Border Protection recorded more than 2.4 million migrant encounters in fiscal year 2023, one of the highest totals on record. Immigration consistently ranks among the top concerns for American voters.

Supporters of ICE argue the agency plays a central role in:

• Removing criminal non-citizens

• Disrupting human trafficking networks

• Enforcing court-ordered deportations

• Supporting national security investigations

Critics counter that enforcement practices erode trust within immigrant communities and blur the lines between civil immigration law and criminal enforcement.

The suggestion of dismantling DHS altogether represents one of the most sweeping critiques yet of America’s post-9/11 security architecture. Since its creation, DHS has become the federal government’s hub for integrated homeland defense coordinating intelligence, border enforcement, disaster response, and cybersecurity efforts.

Any serious move to abolish ICE or dismantle DHS would require congressional approval and a massive federal restructuring effort, likely rivaling the scale of the original 2002 reorganization.

For now, Omar’s comments underscore how immigration enforcement remains one of the sharpest dividing lines in American politics. As border policy, national security, and public safety dominate election debates, proposals to abolish ICE and dismantle DHS are certain to face intense scrutiny.

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