Jasmine Crockett Compares ICE to Slave Patrol

2026-02-12 - 15:07

U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett of Texas has stood by controversial remarks in which she compared the enforcement tactics of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the slave patrols that operated in the American South during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Democratic lawmaker, who is also a candidate for the U.S. Senate, framed her comments as part of a broader appeal for historical awareness amid ongoing national debates over immigration enforcement. In an interview with The Grio, Crockett argued that an honest reckoning with America’s past is essential to understanding present-day policy decisions. She suggested that certain patterns in modern immigration enforcement echo earlier systems of racial control and warned against allowing historical knowledge to fade from public consciousness. “I know that they don’t want us to know our history in this country at this point, but I think it is important for us to see ourselves in what is happening,” Crockett stated, asserting that enforcement actions undertaken during the Trump administration have implications beyond immigrant communities and may also pose concerns for Black Americans nationwide. Referencing operations conducted in cities such as Chicago and Minneapolis, she added, “When we saw what took place in Chicago, or even when we look at Minneapolis ... ICE went into a Black community, was pulling Black babies out, and that kind of stuff. It is important for us to focus on what actually unites us than what divides us.” Crockett contended that divisions among voters contributed to political setbacks in the 2024 election cycle. “I think that that’s what went wrong in the last election ... we allowed ourselves to be divided. And so while some people get up in arms with the language, don’t get up in arms with the language, know the history,” she said. Expanding on her historical comparison, Crockett maintained that understanding past injustices is critical to preventing their recurrence. “If we allow for this history to play out again against any group of people, it is only a matter of time before it also gets to us. And frankly, we see that. We see that it’s expanded beyond just the immigrant community,” she explained. “Because if we don’t, we’re doomed to repeat it. And frankly, right now, this country is repeating it.” Her remarks come amid intensified scrutiny of federal immigration enforcement strategies, particularly in Democratic-led cities. The broader debate has unfolded against the backdrop of the January shooting deaths of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, incidents that heightened tensions surrounding federal law enforcement operations. In response to mounting concerns, some Democratic lawmakers in January withheld support for funding the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the umbrella agency that oversees ICE, unless additional oversight measures were implemented. Proposed reforms included requiring agents to obtain warrants before entering homes, restricting the use of face coverings during operations, and limiting enforcement activity in designated sensitive locations. Although several Democrats ultimately supported a budget measure to fund the department, others opposed it, particularly following Pretti’s death, according to reports by Blavity and The Grio. Absent a funding agreement, the Department of Homeland Security faces the prospect of a lapse in appropriations, which would affect multiple federal entities, including ICE, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Transportation Security Administration, and the U.S. Coast Guard. Crockett has gone further than advocating reform, calling instead for a fundamental restructuring of the immigration enforcement apparatus. She argued that ICE, established in 2003 in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, no longer fulfills its intended mandate and should be dismantled. “I think that we need to scrap it, and we need to come up with something that actually meets not only the moment, but meets the definition of what they are supposed to be doing,” Crockett said. The debate over ICE’s future continues to reflect deep partisan divisions over immigration policy, federal authority, and the interpretation of historical parallels in contemporary governance.