Former Attorney General Eric Holder says that calls from Democrat lawmakers, candidates, and voters to abolish ICE are gifts for the Republican Party heading into the 2018 midterm elections.
Holder said during an interview with NBC News’ Chuck Todd that the “new call” from progressives doesn’t “substantively or politically … make a great deal of sense.”
“ICE obviously needs to be reformulated; it needs to be reformed,” he continued. “But I think we need to focus on that which is most important, and that’s the separation of these kids from their parents.”
“ICE played a role in that, but I think in some ways, you’re giving Republicans a gift by saying we’re going to have a debate now about whether ICE should be abolished.”
WATCH: @EricHolder says calls to eliminate ICE are “a gift to Republicans” and more focus should be on separated families #MTPDaily pic.twitter.com/YV2RdyNdBq
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) July 13, 2018
Holder’s comments mirror those of another prominent Obama administration member. Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson argued in a column last week that the call to abolish ICE is not “a serious policy proposal.”
“The outright abolition of ICE would compromise public safety,” Johnson wrote. “ICE is a law-enforcement agency.”
