At a Tuesday rally in Lubbock for U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico, warm-up speaker Malik Williams called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and legalizing marijuana, drawing loud applause from the crowd even as Talarico himself has avoided such direct language in recent weeks.
Williams, a Democratic candidate for a seat in the Texas state legislature, told the audience: “We can legalize and tax THC and cannabis. We’re gonna abolish ICE, we’re gonna tax the rich and we’re going to get my friend, the next United States senator from the state of Texas, James Talarico, elected!”
Talarico, a Democrat trying to win a Senate seat in a state Republicans have dominated for decades, has taken a more cautious line on ICE while campaigning. During a joint CNN and Jubilee town hall, he was asked directly whether he supports abolishing the agency and said no.
“No, and I never have,” Talarico said. “We need Immigration and Customs Enforcement in this country, but that’s not what we’re seeing. What we’ve seen over the last year is a secret police force, and that’s what we don’t want in this country.”
That stance marks a shift from comments Talarico made in January during a primary debate against Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, when he said it was time to “tear down” ICE.
“ICE shot a mother in the face. ICE kidnapped a 5-year-old boy. ICE executed a man in broad daylight on our streets just this morning. It’s time to tear down this secret police force and replace it with an agency that actually is going to focus on public safety,” he said at the time.
He also called at that debate for hauling ICE agents in front of Congress to testify about enforcement actions.
Abolishing ICE remains a politically divisive idea nationally. A July YouGov/The Economist poll found 67% of Republicans strongly opposed to the idea, while 48% of Americans overall said they support it. In Texas specifically, opinion of the agency leans slightly negative: a February poll from the Texas Politics Project found 42% of state residents view ICE very or somewhat favorably, compared with 47% who view it somewhat or very unfavorably.
Beyond immigration, Williams used his introduction of Talarico to promote a broader set of policies associated with the Democratic Socialists of America, including increased education funding, guaranteed childcare and expanded healthcare. He also criticized President Donald Trump and Talarico’s Republican opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
“When we have embarrassing loser representatives that support a fascist, racist, rapist, war criminal, I say we deserve better!” Williams said, also criticizing the forced placement of data centers in rural areas without local consent.
The campaigns for Talarico, Williams and Paxton did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login