Politics

Gillibrand Becomes The First Senator To Call For Abolishing ICE But It’s A Pivot From Her Past Views On Immigration

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Democratic New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand may be calling to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement now, but in 2008 she was an immigration hardliner, according to her old congressional campaign website.

“Congresswoman Gillibrand has been a firm opponent of any proposal that would give amnesty to illegal aliens. The federal government must provide the necessary resources to secure our borders, which is critical for America’s economic and national security,” her 2008 campaign website said, according a web archive from the Library of Congress. “She strongly supports legislation that would significantly increase the number of border patrol agents and place sophisticated technology along the Southern border to catch human and drug smugglers.”

“In addition, Congresswoman Gillibrand believes English should be made the official language of the United States,” the page also reads.

This is a staunch departure from Gillibrand’s current views. The senator called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying that ICE has “become a deportation force” in a Thursday tweet.

I believe we need to protect families who need help, and ICE isn’t doing that. It has become a deportation force. We need to separate immigration issues from criminal justice. We need to abolish ICE, start over and build something that actually works. https://t.co/JtSN68k4Fd

— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) June 29, 2018

In contrast, her 2008 campaign website called for “stopping illegal immigration.”

Gillibrand also currently supports amnesty for “dreamers,” or children who were brought to the country illegally as minors. “Let’s continue to fight for these young people to get a path to citizenship,” Gillibrand tweeted on June 15.

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