Amy Bernstein retweetledi
BREAKING: California gubernatorial candidate Tom Steyer horrifies MAGA world by calling for ICE agents to be treated like "the mob" with prosecutions of foot soldiers and leadership — as well as the total abolishment of the agency.
And it gets so much better...
"The true test of a leader is not who they disparage and attack, but who they defend and uplift. Donald Trump attacks and robs the most vulnerable in our society, while protecting and enriching the most powerful," Steyer wrote in a policy statement on X.
With the withdrawal of Eric Swalwell from the race due to horrifying allegations of sexual misconduct and rape, Steyer has rocketed into the frontrunner position. As a billionaire, Steyer knows that he has to burnish his progressive credentials to appeal to a Democratic Party that is correctly, inherently suspicious of his class. In order to do that, he has come out swinging in incredible fashion.
"I’ve made it clear: ICE must be abolished. ICE is acting like a criminal organization, carrying out indiscriminate racial profiling and using violence, intimidation, terrorism, and the murder of Americans to extend Trump’s rule by fear," Steyer wrote.
This represents an accurate assessment of ICE. It's functioning not as a law enforcement agency, but as a paramilitary force dedicated to carrying out Trump's personal political agenda. These agents are murdering innocent Americans in the streets, sexually abusing migrants, and violating every civil right imaginable. They must be held accountable.
Steyer went on to say that Democrats must have the courage to "go after both their agents on the streets and their leadership within the Department of Homeland Security."
"How do we do this? The same way we took on the mob. Put ICE agents and their leadership in jail for their crimes, because that’s how you take on a violent extremist group and win," he continued.
Steyer laid out his vision in five key points—
"First, I will go after ICE’s modus operandi: using racial discrimination to detain, arrest, attack, and brutalize Americans," he explained. "I will pass aggressive legislation that builds on current California statutes and outlaws any law enforcement agency from profiling anyone based on their race, ethnicity, language, occupation, or location. We are done letting federal badges serve as a shield for abuse in our state."
"Second, I will give the state Attorney General the authority to hold ICE’s leadership accountable for violence. My plan will pursue supervisory liability. This body of law empowers the California justice system to criminally prosecute and imprison not just the ICE agents who are committing these crimes, but the leadership directing them to do so."
"Third, I will appoint and fund a special investigative unit and work with the Attorney General who is specifically tasked with enforcing these California laws, including laws related to the conditions at detention facilities. This investigative unit will collect the evidence the Attorney General can use to prosecute offenders and their leadership."
"Fourth, I will bring those detained and kidnapped by ICE back home by creating a much larger and stronger immigration legal defense infrastructure in our state – funding for more attorneys, investigators, and accredited representatives, as well as legal aid and law school programs—to assist and help those who have been imprisoned without due process.
"And Fifth, I will launch a massive statewide 'Know Your Rights' public education and public awareness campaign. Every Californian, regardless of their immigration status, should know their constitutional and legal rights if you are stopped, detained, or questioned by ICE agents, if you are assembled to protest against ICE, if you are filming ICE agent activities, or if you witness unlawful and illegal actions perpetrated by ICE agents.
This is an absolutely brilliant blueprint and every Democratic governor should adopt a similar approach. It's time to bring the fight to ICE!
"In a functioning democracy, the Attorney General of the United States would prosecute these cases. Under Trump, the United States is not a fully functioning democracy, exercising all the constitutional, legislative, and judicial checks and balances the founding fathers put in place—but California still is and always will be," wrote Steyer.
"Trump has turned ICE into a criminal enterprise, so let’s treat it as such. As governor, I’ll go after ICE the way Eliot Ness and Joe Friday went after the Mob: bring them to justice by using their most basic crimes against them. For the Mob it was racketeering; for ICE it’s racial discrimination."
"On my watch, California will protect the most vulnerable and bring to justice those who break the law and brutalize our neighbors. We’ll let ICE know: in California, you obey our laws and respect our residents, or you go to jail," he concluded.
What do you think? Would you vote for Tom Steyer?
Please ❤️ and share if you support prosecuting ICE agents!
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