Amnesty International calls for abolition of ICE

Amnesty International has called for the complete abolition of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, citing it as fundamentally broken and unfixable. The human rights organization released its report titled "We Had Whistles, They Had Guns" on Thursday, detailing numerous human rights abuses during ICE's extensive operations.

This announcement follows a week after a Venezuelan migrant was shot and injured by an ICE agent in Austin, Texas. In January, the deaths of two Americans at the hands of federal agents in Minneapolis also fueled outrage nationwide. Nadia Daar, the director of Amnesty International USA, highlighted in the report that masked and armed federal agents acting with impunity pose a danger to communities.

The investigation, which comprised over 150 testimonies gathered between March and June in four major cities, concluded that ICE is fundamentally broken and cannot be repaired. Daar emphasized that the US government must develop an immigration enforcement system that aligns with international human rights law and standards, advocating for ICE's abolition and a fresh start.

The report suggests that the Trump administration's immigration enforcement system is based on racist, xenophobic, and false rhetoric, aiming to detain and deport as many migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees as possible from the United States. Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to requests for comment on the matter.