As the fight to abolish U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) gains ground, 19 high-profile ICE agents and leaders have signed a letter asking Homeland Security head Kirstjen Nielsen to eliminate the agency. The letter, first shared by The Texas Observer, explained that certain ICE agents "have been perceived as targeting undocumented aliens, instead of the transnational criminal organizations that facilitate cross border crimes impacting our communities and national security," and that as a result, their work has been inhibited. The agents recommend that Homeland Security dismiss the departments of ICE charged with deporting most undocumented immigrants and instead focus on their Homeland Security Investigations team, which fights cybercrime, drug smuggling and human trafficking. The letter comes as high-profile Senators like Kirsten Gillibrand have called to end the immigration agency, which was founded in 2003 by President George W. Bush. In an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo Thursday, Gillibrand said that the agency should be "reimagined" with a "very different mission." The New York Senator floated the same solution as the 19 ICE agents did in their letter to Nielsen. "I don't think ICE today is working as intended," she said. "I believe that it has become a deportation force, and I think you should separate the criminal justice from the immigration issues." Gillibrand explained that the U.S. should be working instead to protect families that need help, "and that is not what ICE is doing today, and that's why I believe you should get rid of it, start over, reimagine it and build something that actually works." In recent weeks, the once fringe call to end the agency has hit the political mainstream. Democratic Representatives Mark Pocan and Pramila Jayapal introduced a bill into the House last week calling for the abolishment of the agency along with a commission to explore alternative solutions. This week, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old Democratic Socialist, won a primary against 10-term Representative Joe Crowley while campaigning on the abolish ICE movement. "ICE is now the second-largest criminal investigative agency in the United States, second only to the FBI. And the fact that they operate without the accountability of the Department of Justice is extremely concerning to us all," Ocasio-Cortez told The Intercept. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security came under increased national scrutiny recently for their enforcement of a "zero-tolerance" policy that led to the separation of migrant children from their families at the U.S. southern border. President Donald Trump has since signed an executive order reinforcing the policy but asking that families be held together, instead of separately. ICE did not immediately respond to requests for comment.<doc-sep>More than a dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents have signed a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen Kirstjen Michele NielsenLeft-leaning group to track which companies hire former top Trump aides Rosenstein: Zero tolerance immigration policy 'never should have been proposed or implemented' House Republican condemns anti-Trump celebrities during impeachment hearing MORE calling to eliminate ICE and shift its work to another bureau. At least 19 ICE investigators signed the letter to Nielsen, saying they were concerned that the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration was preventing them from carrying out the agency’s other duties. ADVERTISEMENT Investigators “have been perceived as targeting undocumented aliens, instead of the transnational criminal organizations that facilitate cross border crimes impacting our communities and national security,” the letter states. The agents who signed the letter are members of Homeland Security Investigations, a section of ICE. Agents in the division work on crimes like drug trafficking, cyber crimes and human smuggling, according to The New York Times. The agents suggested that Nielsen create a second bureau just for their investigations and another for immigration detentions and deportations. The Texas Observer first reported on the letter. The Hill has reached out to ICE for comment. Calls to dissolve ICE have recently grown more popular among Democratic lawmakers in light of the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy at the border. Rep. Mark Pocan Mark William PocanOvernight Defense: Groups use Afghanistan withdrawal to push for defense budget cuts | Confederate renaming effort could affect 'hundreds' of military assets | Progressives see 'historic' moment to shift US-Israel relations Sanders planning resolution to block arms sale to Israel Overnight Defense: Progressives launch long-shot bid to block Israel arms sale | Top GOP lawmakers oppose DC National Guard quick reaction force | DHS requests Pentagon extend southern border deployment MORE (D-Wis.) last week introduced a bill to eliminate the agency. The Trump administration faced widespread criticism for its practice of separating immigrant children from their families at the border, which Trump ended with an executive order last week. Immigrant families will now be detained together under the zero tolerance policy, which requires that all adults caught illegally crossing the border face prosecution. Updated at 10:25 p.m.<doc-sep>
In a letter sent to United States Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen earlier this month, almost 20 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents expressed concern about the current status of the organization’s operations under the Trump administration. Those who signed the letter proposed dissolving ICE into two units: a stand-alone investigations unit and a unit to specifically handle immigration detention and deportation. The agents are members of Homeland Security Investigations and work on crimes like drug trafficking, cyber crimes, and human smuggling, according to the New York Times. The letter expresses concern that the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy on immigration has made it difficult for them to perform many duties, including pursuing national security threats, child pornography, and transnational crime, the Times reported. The letter was signed by 19 agents working as part of Homeland Security Investigations, a section of ICE, and says investigators “have been perceived as targeting undocumented aliens, instead of the transnational criminal organizations that facilitate cross border crimes impacting our communities and national security.” The Texas Observer first reported on the letter. Activists have been calling for the agency to be abolished altogether. Some Democratic politicians are calling for the same, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a congressional candidate who recently won the Democratic primary in New York, used abolishing ICE as one of her main platforms, and Democratic Representatives Mark Pocan (D-WI) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who introduced a bill just last week to completely eliminate the agency, the Hill reported. Ocasio-Cortez was one of at least 15 primary challengers whose policy platforms called for ICE to be abolished, according to NBC News. Get the Teen Vogue Take. Sign up for the Teen Vogue weekly email. Related: 5 Reasons Why Activists Are Calling for the Abolition of ICE Check this out: