Maine Candidate Vows to Defund ICE, Calls It ‘Unreformable’
Maine Senate candidate Troy Jackson claims ICE is unreformable and vows to defund it, shifting duties to CBP during a debate with Susan Collins.
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During a heated debate on WMTW, Maine Democrat Senate candidate Troy Jackson declared that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is ‘unreformable’ and pledged to cut off its funding, arguing that its duties should be transferred to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Jackson, a former Maine Senate president and logger from Allagash, made the remarks in response to a question about whether Congress should continue funding ICE and what conditions he would impose.
Jackson’s Criticism of ICE
Jackson cited the July fatal shooting of a man in Biddeford by an ICE agent as evidence of the agency’s inability to be reformed. ‘This agency is so rogue that I don’t know that it can be reformed,’ he said. ‘But I know for a fact that people are always going to know ICE as an outfit that has murdered at least four people here in this country, and that that is not law enforcement.’
Jackson argued that CBP, which he said used to handle sex trafficking and drug smuggling, should take over ICE’s responsibilities. ‘What we have right now is not legitimate law enforcement, and I would cut the funding off for them,’ he said.
Collins Rejects Defunding ICE
Senator Susan Collins, the Republican candidate for Senate, dismissed Jackson’s call to defund ICE, stating that while reform is needed, the agency is essential for national security. ‘We need to reform ICE further,’ Collins said. ‘But we cannot completely abolish ICE, as Troy has called for many times.’
Collins highlighted ICE’s role in deporting violent criminals, investigating child exploitation, and combating international cartels. ‘Do we really want to make the country less safe?’ she asked, emphasizing the need for accountability measures such as body-worn cameras, which she said she secured $20 million for.
Other Democrats Target ICE
Jackson is not the only Maine Democrat to criticize ICE. Former Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who withdrew from the Senate race, previously stated that Democrats needed to beat Collins because they ‘do need to abolish ICE.’
Source: Breitbart
