Remember when Democrats supported ICE deportations? I do. | Opinion

As I watch the firestorm continue to rage between Minnesota lawmakers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, I miss former President Barack Obama (just a little bit).

Surprising, I know. Why?

Obama was the last Democratic president who, despite my disagreements with many of his ideas and policies − especially Obamacare, which I view as a failure − often made sense, particularly on immigration. In two terms, "deporter in chief" Obama removed over 3.1 million immigrants via ICE. In fiscal year 2012, more than 407,000 people were deported. He was even publicly scolded for doing home raids and told to stop.

Though this was a bit controversial, Democrats didn't seem to mind much. Republicans did criticize Obama for favoring amnesty, but these actions were necessary to maintain law, order and our social contract.

This is different from what the Democratic Party espouses today. Rather than looking at the meltdown in Minnesota as an example to avoid, congressional Democrats seem to be doing the opposite. Progressive Democrats in both chambers are urging their party to block funding for the Department of Homeland Security unless it includes restrictions tied to ICE.

Some prominent Democrats are even calling to abolish ICE after one of its agents fatally shot a U.S. citizen on Jan. 7.

This would be a huge mistake, but one that I'd suggest Democrats go ahead and make, especially if it's truly reflective of their values and beliefs. This way, Americans can truly see that they have become a party purposely defying the very social contract that keeps America's fabric stitched together. It will cost Democrats.

National spotlight is on the mess in Minnesota

My home state of Minnesota remains in the national spotlight after a flurry of events involving ICE, residents and Minnesota lawmakers. On Jan. 14, a judge allowed ICE operations in Minnesota to continue despite the fact that state officials are suing President Donald Trump's administration over his immigration crackdown, something they say is an authoritarian reach of power.

Several prosecutors in the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division said they were resigning after they learned that the DOJ would not be opening an investigation into what happened during the shooting that led to Renee Nicole Good's death. For what it's worth, I think this is a mistake, not just for optics' sake but also for clarity.

Good's death sparked controversy and outrage over ICE's role in Minnesota and immigration issues at large. The mess in Minnesota has also demonstrated, probably, the single biggest difference between Republicans and Democrats right now.

On Jan. 15, Trump threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act and send the U.S. military into Minneapolis following another shooting. On the evening of Jan. 14, a federal agent shot and wounded a protester in the leg after the person allegedly attacked him with a shovel, according to the Department of Homeland Security officials.

“If the corrupt politicians of Minnesota don’t obey the law and stop the professional agitators and insurrectionists from attacking the Patriots of I.C.E., who are only trying to do their job, I will institute the INSURRECTION ACT, which many Presidents have done before me, and quickly put an end to the travesty that is taking place in that once great State,” Trump posted on Truth Social.

Democrats want to upend our social contract

Minnesota's Democratic leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, who are outraged over ICE's very presence in their communities, have made this entire debacle much harder than it needs to be.

I understand that home raids, or ICE agents going door-to-door, seem scary. Federal officers should strive to act in accordance with our laws. They should not behave like thugs.

But they are in a difficult position: Entering the United States illegally is already a crime. If Minnesota law enforcement apprehended more lawbreakers, there would be no need for ICE to participate in home raids or for ICE to swarm metro cities, arresting known rapists and drug traffickers.

Walz and Frey blame ICE's tactics for Minnesota's brewing civil unrest, but in reality, being soft on state and federal crime created the need for ICE to swoop in and enforce them.

I've been disappointed to see that since Obama's presidency ended in 2017 − perhaps as a reaction to Trump's presidency − the Democratic Party began viewing immigration laws, in particular, as optional and ICE as federal agents who aren't legitimate members of law enforcement.

This seems to have encouraged former President Joe Biden to undo several Trump-era policies that helped secure the border, allowing a record number of migrants into the United States in 2023. ICE is now forced to rectify what Biden allowed.

Federal immigration laws are not a cornerstone of just America's sovereignty and well-being, but also of most advanced countries. Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama believed this.

The ideas of philosophers − Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau − reinforced this. They are rooted in the idea that there is a delicate but vital social contract between citizens and governments: Individuals collectively give up some liberty and agree to obey laws to receive security, peace and order. Without this, there is chaos.

Democrats now seem to be openly advocating for the disruption of this social contract − even calling to defund or abolish ICE altogether.

Most Americans don't agree with or want this. Before the 2024 election, immigration was among the top concerns of most Americans.

Trump administration officials could do their part better. They need not make this overtly political by trading jabs and smearing Democratic lawmakers. That riles everyone up more and is not a good example of leadership. Even so, they must continue to systematically and methodically enforce immigration law, through ICE, and steer clear of actions, antics or optics that make it look like they are simply thugs hunting down innocent people for kicks.

Our social contract depends on this. Just ask Obama. Democrats upend this at their peril.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.