Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders called for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), saying that Americans “overwhelmingly” want to abolish the agency in a Tuesday tweet, but a Monday poll from Huffington Post and YouGov says differently.
“Now, it is time to do what Americans overwhelmingly want: abolish the cruel, dysfunctional immigration system we have today and pass comprehensive immigration reform,” the senator said in his tweet.
In 2002 I voted against the creation of DHS and the establishment of ICE. That was the right vote. Now, it is time to do what Americans overwhelmingly want: abolish the cruel, dysfunctional immigration system we have today and pass comprehensive immigration reform.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) July 3, 2018
Despite Sanders’s claim, only 10 percent of Americans surveyed said they “strongly favored” abolishing ICE, while 11 percent said they “somewhat favor” the measure, according to the HuffPost and YouGov poll released on Monday.
In contrast, 15 percent said they “somewhat oppose” abolishing ICE, and 29 percent said they “strongly oppose” abolishing it. (RELATED: Dem Senator Calls For ICE To Be Abolished — Forgets What She Said About Illegal Immigrants In 2009)
The numbers break down predictably across presidential votes, with 64 percent of those who voted for President Donald Trump saying they “strongly oppose” abolishing ICE and 20 percent of those who voted for former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton saying they “strongly favor” abolishing ICE, according to the poll.
A greater percentage of men than women support abolishing ICE, with 12 percent of men saying they “strongly favor” the measure and only 7 percent of women saying they “strongly favor” it, according to the poll.
“Congress must do what the American people want. Let us create a humane and rational immigration system,” Sanders tweeted on Tuesday.
We must not be about forcing over 10 million undocumented people, many of whom have been here for decades, to continue living in fear and anxiety. Congress must do what the American people want. Let us create a humane and rational immigration system.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) July 3, 2018
Sanders joins several other lawmakers in the movement to abolish ICE, including New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, who said the agency should be abolished in a Thursday interview with Chris Cuomo on CNN.
The poll surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults from June 20 to June 21 and was made “to match the demographics and other characteristics of the U.S. population,” according to HuffPost and YouGov.
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