Breaking: Effort to Abolish ICE Surges As Americans Turn on Trump

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Parnas Perspective Episode: Breaking: Effort to Abolish ICE Surges As Americans Turn on Trump
Host: Aaron Parnas
Date: January 23, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Aaron Parnas explores the rapidly escalating public and political movement to abolish ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) amidst plummeting public opinion during Donald Trump's second term. With support for ICE at an all-time low—even among independents and, increasingly, some Republicans—Parnas discusses how recent controversial ICE actions, shifting voter attitudes, and calls from leading Democrats are converging at a historical inflection point. The episode features an in-depth interview with Illinois Lieutenant Governor and Senate candidate Juliana Stratton, who openly commits to abolishing ICE and shares local strategies and national implications.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Public Opinion Shift and ICE's Plummeting Reputation (00:00–03:00)

• Aaron Parnas addresses a seismic shift in public perception of ICE, citing new polling:
  • Only 22% of voters say increased ICE spending is definitely a good use of taxpayer money, with 55% considering it probably or definitely a bad use.
  • A significant 62% of independents now view ICE spending as a bad use of funds, while the expected Republican support (80%) is less overwhelming than conventional wisdom would suggest.
• Dramatic swing in ICE favorability since the start of Trump’s second term:
  • Favorability has fallen below 45%; unfavorability has climbed over 50%.
• Triggering events––especially viral incidents like the detention of young children and intimidation of legal observers—fuel the public turn against ICE.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “What really feels like an inflection point right now in American history, Americans on the left, center and the right are all coming out in unison saying that what we're seeing on the streets today is simply unacceptable.” – Aaron Parnas (00:26)

Coordination & Pushback: The Illinois Approach (04:15–08:51)

• Interview with Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton:
  • Stratton details the Illinois response, referencing “Operation Midway Blitz” and robust statewide pushback against ICE actions.
  • State & local leaders united to reject compliance with Trump’s ICE, positioning Illinois as a “blueprint” for resistance.
  • Criticizes ICE activities, notably enforcement operations at “sensitive sites” like schools and hospitals, and adamantly calls ICE “Donald Trump’s private police force.”
  • Illinois legislation signed to prohibit ICE actions at specific community centers; establishment of an Accountability Commission to document abuses.
  • Notable Moment: Stratton’s unequivocal stance:
    • “We need to abolish ICE. That's something that I'm going to work on at the federal level... I don't believe that this agency can be reformed.” — Juliana Stratton (07:53)
  • Emphasizes the collection of stories and evidence for future accountability.

Grassroots Momentum & The Power of Community Mobilization (04:15–06:25)

• Stratton highlights growing activism among ordinary Illinoisans, noting that people from all backgrounds are standing up to protect their communities and neighbors.
• Cites community actions like protests, safeguarding students, and rapid mobilization against ICE’s presence.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “One thing that I have seen that I am inspired by is the number of people who have come out and said, not on our watch. Everyday people... make sure we protect our neighbors. That's what everybody must do, and that's what's required in this moment.” – Juliana Stratton (05:54)

Limitations, Legislation, and State-level Authority (06:31–08:51)

• Discussion of what is and isn’t possible at the state level; Stratton insists that, despite certain legal boundaries, states can still protect residents and challenge federal overreach creatively and legislatively.
• Illinois’ strategic bans on ICE enforcement in sensitive locations and the documentation of abuses are positioned as models for other states.

Accountability and the Drive for Federal Change (07:53–08:51)

• Stratton underscores the fleeting nature of Trump’s presidency and expresses confidence in eventual accountability for ICE-related “acts of terror.”
• Articulates a strategy of evidence preservation, justice, and long-term reckoning for current abuses.

Senate Race and Policy Vision (08:51–12:35)

• Stratton discusses her candidacy for the U.S. Senate, pointing to her track record in Illinois on issues like healthcare, minimum wage, gun laws, women’s initiatives, and rural-urban connectivity.
• Stresses the need for “new energy, new voices, and new perspectives” in Washington (09:48), direct accountability for the executive branch, and ending the politicized status quo.
• Contrasts her record of state-level leadership with her primary opponent’s fundraising background.
• Memorable Quote:
  • “People are tired of talking points. They want action. And that's what I will provide.” — Juliana Stratton (12:27)

ICE Intimidation and Civil Liberties (02:37–03:00)

• Discussion of a video from Maine where an ICE agent labels a legal observer a “domestic terrorist” simply for filming ICE activities, sparking public outrage over intimidation and potential First Amendment violations.
• Parnas characterizes the exchange as "stunning" and emblematic of ICE's unaccountable escalation under Trump.
• Notable Exchange:
  • “Are you crazy? That's an ICE agent saying, now you're in the, in our database simply for videotaping us. You're now a domestic terrorist simply for videotaping us. Pretty stunning.” — Aaron Parnas (02:52)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “Americans on the left, center, and the right are all coming out in unison saying that what we're seeing on the streets today is simply unacceptable.” — Aaron Parnas (00:26)

• ICE intimidation over filming:

  • B (ICE Agent): “Because we have a nice little database.” (02:43)
  • A (Parnas): “Considered a domestic terrorist.” (02:46)
  • B: “So for videotaping you.” (02:48)
  • A: “Are you crazy? That's an ICE agent saying... you're now a domestic terrorist simply for videotaping us.” (02:52)

• “We are staring authoritarianism in its face. Donald Trump wants to normalize the presence of the military on American soil. And we have to speak up, every single one of us. This is our time.” — Juliana Stratton (05:21)

• “We need to abolish ICE. That's something that I'm going to work on at the federal level... I don't believe that this agency can be reformed.” — Juliana Stratton (07:53)

• “People are tired of talking points. They want action. And that's what I will provide.” — Juliana Stratton (12:27)

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• 00:00–02:20 — Introduction; public opinion data and polling trends.
• 02:37–03:00 — Viral ICE intimidation video and its implications.
• 04:15–06:25 — Stratton describes Illinois’ response, community activism, and personal involvement.
• 06:31–08:51 — Legislative and strategic steps Illinois has taken; limitations and ongoing accountability work.
• 08:51–12:35 — Stratton’s Senate run, her reasons for running, and contrasting herself with her primary opponent.

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Conclusion

This episode of The Parnas Perspective offers a pointed, urgent assessment of the national momentum to abolish ICE, capturing the unprecedented scale of the backlash and the shifting political landscape. Through polling, viral examples of ICE overreach, and the hands-on Illinois approach, Aaron Parnas and Juliana Stratton paint a picture of robust, multi-level resistance—one that’s merging pragmatic policy, community action, and a call for top-down federal change. The tone is direct, urgent, and infused with a sense of both outrage and mobilizing hope.

Listeners are left with a clear sense of how the abolish ICE movement is evolving from fringe rhetoric to mainstream policy, why the current moment feels different, and what kinds of leadership and collective action are emerging in resistance to both ICE and the broader authoritarian tendencies of the Trump administration.

Transcript

[A]

We have some significant news right now. The effort to abolish ICE is growing faster than I think we've ever seen before. And I don't overstate this, because right now, public opinion of ICE is tanking to the point where more and more politicians have come out in favor of abolishing the agency in full or abolishing the agency as we currently know it under the Trump administration. And what really feels like an inflection point right now in American history, Americans on the left, center and the right are all coming out in unison saying that what we're seeing on the streets today is simply unacceptable. And it's growing. This sentiment is growing fast. Now I want to jump right into it. Make sure to like, comment, share and subscribe. Get this everywhere because I think people need to know about it. And please consider supporting my work by subscribing to my substack. Click the link below. Voters now think that increased ICE spending is a mostly bad use of taxpayer money. Just 22% of voters definitely think it's a good use of taxpayer money. 21% think probably a good use. 55% either think it's probably a bad use or definitely a bad use of taxpayer dollars. Now, among Democrats, it's overwhelmingly bad. But look at that independent number, 62% of independents believe that it is a bad use of taxpayer money to spend money on ice. Just 35% believe that it's good use. And among Republicans, you may think this 8017 number in favor of good news or good use is a very, very daunting number, a very good number for ICE. It's not because if Donald Trump won, only 80% of Republicans, Kamala Harris would be president today. Voters are actively becoming more unfavorable of ICE in Trump's second term. Just look at this. At the Beginning of Trump's second term, favorability for ICE was at or above 50%. Unfavorability was well below 40%. There was a 15, 16 point delta that has since shifted. Unfavorability for ICE is over 50%. Now favorability has fallen below 45%. And based on trend lines, that's only going to continue. This gap that we're seeing is only going to grow. And you may ask yourselves, well, why? Well, it's because we see ICE picking up five year olds and detaining them. In Minneapolis. The latest. I want to show you this video from Maine where a legal advocate was filming ICE enforcement when an ICE agent came up and said, you're now in a database. It's not illegal.

[B]

To record. Exactly. Yeah. That's what we're doing. Yeah.

[A]

Why are you taking my information down?

[B]

Because we have a nice little database. Oh, good.

[A]

Considered a domestic terrorist.

[B]

So for videotaping you.

[A]

Are you crazy? That's an ICE agent saying, now you're in the, in our database simply for videotaping us. You're now a domestic terrorist simply for videotaping us. Pretty stunning. And this afternoon I spoke with the Senate candidate, Juliana Stratton, who is currently the Lieutenant Governor in Illinois. She's running for Senate in Illinois because there's an open Senate seat after Dick Durbin retired. And she said point blank to me, I'm going to abolish ICE when I get to the Senate. If you told me that would be coming out of the mouth of a leading Senate candidate just last year, I would have said you were crazy, truthfully, because abolishing ICE was never a popular position, but it seems to be one now. Before I get into the interview, make sure to, like, comment, share and subscribe. Subscribe to my substack hit. Here is Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton super excited today to be joined by Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, who's also running for United States Senate. I want to just jump right in, lg, and ask you. A lot of folks are worried in this nation, especially as it relates to what's happening in Minneapolis, the way ICE has been terrorizing communities across the country. You're no secret to what ICE is doing. You saw it happen firsthand in the Pinoy backyard in Chicago. Gives folks some, I guess, inspiration or just some information, I guess. How should they combat ICE right now in their communities based on what you all did in Illinois?

[B]

Yeah, well, we certainly here in Illinois have gone through and continue to see the real, just terror that's taking place all across this country. What's happening in Minneapolis right now. And we had Operation Midway Blitz here in Illinois. And I think, number one, first and foremost, Governor Pritzker and I, and at every level of government, we all stood together and made it very clear from the very beginning that we don't want Trump's ICE here in the state of Illinois or in the city of Chicago, that we would not bow down to a wannabe dictator. And we made it very clear that we would do everything we could to stand up for our neighbors. We know that what they are doing is inhumane. I mean, it's unconstitutional. Just look at what happened. Just, you know, this week we saw a five year old boy get detained and kidnapped by ice. We see you know, totally overlooking the Constitution, stomping on the rule of law. It's wrong, it's dangerous. We've seen people get killed by ice, United States citizens, and we have to speak up. I always say, this is not about the rise of authoritarianism. We are staring authoritarianism in its face. Donald Trump wants to normalize the presence of the military on American soil. And we have to speak up, every single one of us. This is our time. So I've been doing that. I've been out in community. I've been, you know, at the protest. I've been at the Broadview Detention center speaking out. I've been making sure, working with organizations that we help students get home from school and have safe passage. We're making sure in Illinois that people know their rights. But I think the main thing that when you talk about inspiration, and it's not a time that really feels very inspirational, but one thing that I have seen that I am inspired by is the number of people who have come out and said, not on our watch. Everyday people who are saying, I'm going to step up, get out of my home, get out of the comfort zone and hit the streets and make sure we protect our neighbors. That's what everybody must do, and that's what's required in this moment.

[A]

I think one criticism that Democratic leaders specifically get in this moment is they. People say, you know what? You guys aren't doing enough.

[B]

Right.

[A]

We feel as though there's not enough happening to push back on what's happening in this administration. I got to ask you, from a state level perspective, what can an LG or a governor do in this moment? Because I think there are limitations that people just don't realize exist.

[B]

Yeah, I mean, there are some limitations, but that doesn't mean we should just sort of sit on the sidelines and say, there's nothing I can do. So in addition to getting up and speaking out and holding people accountable, I mean, Governor Pritzker just signed some legislation to make sure that here in Illinois, we will not see ICE enforcement in places like schools and hospitals and courthouses where we had seen some ICE activity here in Illinois, places where people should know they should be able to go and be safe. You might recall that there was a daycare worker who was pulled out of the daycare center in front of children. These are long term generational acts of trauma that are being inflicted upon all of us right now by this rogue agency that really has been set up to be Donald Trump's private police force. And to me, we need to abolish ice. That's something that I'm going to work on at the federal level. I'm running for United States Senate. And that is one of the things that I certainly believe needs to happen. I don't believe that this agency can be reformed. And it's not operating as enforcement or law enforcement. It is operating as an organization that is literally just trying to terrorize our communities. On the state level, in addition to the legislation to make sure some of these more sensitive sites, we cannot see ICE enforcement or activation, we also have the Illinois Accountability Commission where we are making sure that we are capturing images and videos and stories and narratives from people who are experiencing this terror. Because the bottom line is this, Donald Trump is not always going to be president. And one day we will hold him accountable, we will hold his administration accountable, and we will make sure that everyone who has had a part of this terror, these acts of terror, will be held accountable. We're gathering the information and making sure people do that right now to preserve that evidence and testimony, because one day we're going to make sure accountability happens.

[A]

Now, you mentioned you're running for Senate. I just got to ask you, why would you want to do that? Why are you running for Senate?

[B]

Well, look at what's happening. I mean, Donald Trump has ignited a five alarm fire. And, you know, I'm proud of the work that we've done in Illinois. In fact, I believe that Illinois in so many ways, this sort of island or oasis in the Midwest has, you know, kind of has the blueprint of the kind of leadership that is needed. And right now, when I go around the state and ask people what they're looking for, they say a couple of things. One, they're so proud to live in a state like Illinois, but number two, they're looking for someone who will go to the Met fighting for them. And I started running for office 10 years ago, not because I thought it was the easy thing to do. In fact, I ran because our previous governor was trying to strip away health care. So I ran against a 13 year incumbent, my state rep, and beat him to fight for health care. And here we are ten years later, and it's not just health care. We're seeing attacks on the rule of law, attacks on our Constitution, our rights, our neighbors. And, you know, I know that this is a time when we need new energy, new voices and new perspectives in Washington. And that's what I'm going to bring and do. I think it's easy. No. But we have to hold this administration accountable. We're supposed to have these separate and co equal independent branches of government to put a check on this president. And we don't always see that. And I'm going to be one of the ones that's going to provide that check.

[A]

Now I got to ask you, before you get to a general election, before you get to the Senate, you have a primary and this primary, I mean it's creeping up on us in I think what, less than 50 days almost or in about two months or so. Why are you the best Democrats who represent Illinois?

[B]

Well, I'm the best Democrat to represent Illinois because I am going to give the people what they want. And that's what this campaign is all about. Making sure that I will stand up and fight against what we're seeing coming out of Washington D.C. and using the blueprint of what I've been doing over the last 10 years to do so. We have gotten big things done in Illinois. I mean we have raised the minimum wage, we have passed common sense gun legislation including assault weapons ban, we've created thousands of jobs, we have expanded access to health care including protecting reproductive freedom. And that is something that I have been a part of as a partner in governance to Governor JB Pritzker and that's the leadership that I will bring to Washington D.C. as I just said, people are sort of tired of the status quo and they're looking for new energy to meet this moment. And they don't feel like they see it, at least in the voters that I'm talking to in every corner of the state. They feel like there's too much of a go along to get along sort of mentality. I'm going against a very well resourced opponent in Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthy who for the last 10 years has been spending all of his time raising money so that he could run for Senate. Well, for the last 10 years what I've been doing is working for the people of Illinois and delivering for the people of Illinois not just as a partner and what we've done as an administration, but my own leadership. Leading the birth equity initiative to address the black women's maternal mortality crisis, leading on rural affairs to make sure that my AG connects us all initiative, it moves from a rural urban divide to a rural urban bridge to create more aspect opportunities to expand access to healthy nutrient dense food. My work as chair of the Illinois Council on Women and Girls and creating pathways to make Illinois the best state in the nation for women and girls and so much more that I have personally taken leadership on. I've been getting things done and delivering, and that's what people are looking for. They're tired of talking points. They want action. And that's what I will provide.

[A]

Lieutenant Governor Stratton, thanks so much for joining me and good luck.

[B]

Thanks so much for having me.

[A]

Hey folks, thanks so much for watching. Feel free to add this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you watch for the latest breaking news and daily hits throughout the day. Make sure to follow subscribe. See you soon for more.