Staff Reports
Representative Ro Khanna this week fired off a headline-grabbing X post calling for ICE to be abolished after reporting showed roughly 10,000 people were detained in a short enforcement surge. He says those arrests are “continued abuse and violation of human rights.” That is the latest twist in the immigration fight — and it deserves a clear answer, not another virtue-signaling sound bite.
What Rep. Ro Khanna Said and the Oversight He Cites
Rep. Ro Khanna publicly urged that “ICE arrested more than 10,000 people last week. We cannot ignore their continued abuse and violation of human rights. It’s time to abolish ICE and replace it.” He pointed to his oversight visit to the California City Detention Facility where he says he saw detainees lacking clothes, delayed medical care, and poor grievance handling. Khanna has used those findings before in letters and press releases, and now he is asking for a full remake of the system rather than fixes.
The Facts: 10,000 Arrests, a Surge in Enforcement, and DHS’s Answer
News reporting based on agency data shows roughly 10,000 arrests over about five days — a jump to an enforcement pace near 2,000 arrests a day. That is what Khanna reacted to. Secretary Markwayne Mullin and DHS have reminded everyone that ICE enforces the immigration laws Congress passes. If voters want different rules, the place to change them is Capitol Hill, not by gutting an agency that is doing the job Congress told it to do.
Accountability Is Legitimate. Abolition Is Dangerous.
No serious person should shrug at reports of poor medical care or mismanagement in detention centers. If CoreCivic or any operator is failing basic standards, fix it, investigate it, and hold people accountable. But tossing out ICE as an answer is a political stunt that leaves victims, local police, and the rule of law holding the bill. We can demand humane treatment and stronger oversight while still expecting the federal government to control the border, enforce immigration law, and protect communities.
Bottom Line: Fix Problems, Don’t Lose the Rule of Law
Ro Khanna’s post will play well to activists, but it dodges the hard choices. Conservatives should make the obvious point loud and clear: we want compassion and we want law and order. Call out abuse, reform contractors, and fund proper oversight — but don’t applaud proposals that would hollow out enforcement and invite chaos. If Khanna truly wants change, he can propose lawmaking solutions in Congress instead of demagoguing an agency doing the job lawmakers assigned it.
