Interviewer Baffles Democratic Candidate with Simple ICE Query

Pennsylvania Candidate Stumbles on Immigration Enforcement Question

Democratic congressional candidate Ara Stanford from Pennsylvania faced a challenging moment during an interview on Tuesday when asked who should oversee immigration enforcement if not Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The question came from NBC 10 Philadelphia’s Lauren Make, especially relevant considering Stanford’s previous calls for eliminating ICE. After a brief pause of about 20 seconds, she suggested taking a moment to think before answering.

Maki posed the question directly: “From an immigration enforcement perspective, who do you think should be in charge of enforcing immigration laws?”

Stanford’s response was somewhat hesitant. “That’s a good question,” she started. “You don’t mind if I pause for a second because I want to think about it for a second…Okay…who do you think should be in charge of enforcing immigration laws? Not the executive branch. So not the president, so that’s Congress’s. It’s Congress’s.”

According to the Constitution, the executive branch is tasked with enforcing the laws created by Congress. ICE was given authority under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which was enacted by Congress.

In light of President Donald Trump’s stringent immigration policies, many Democrats have pushed for abolishing ICE. This movement intensified after the tragic deaths of individuals who encountered immigration officers in Minneapolis.

Despite previously opposing the abolishment of government agencies, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Minnesota Representative Ilhan Omar have both expressed their support for the idea. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Representatives Ro Khanna, Seth Moulton, and Pramila Jayapal have also joined the call for ICE’s dissolution during Trump’s presidency.

Reportedly, assaults against ICE agents surged by 1,300% in January, as noted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Moreover, there was an alarming 8,000% increase in death threats against officers and their families.