Minnesota Democratic Senate Nominee Calls for Dismantling ICE at Debate

Peggy Flanagan's statement arrives in the same week DHS reported 131 gang-related ICE arrests, creating a measurable policy contrast that will likely define the closing weeks of the Minnesota...

Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, stated at a televised debate that "ICE should absolutely be ripped apart," according to reporting by the Washington Examiner. The statement was made one day before the Department of Homeland Security released enforcement figures for the first full week of October 2026.

According to those DHS figures, ICE agents arrested 131 individuals identified as alleged gang members during that week. Of those, 22 were alleged members of MS-13 and 13 were alleged members of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan criminal organization that federal law enforcement has designated a transnational criminal organization.

One of the individuals arrested was described by DHS as a suspected Tren de Aragua hitman. Federal records indicate Border Patrol apprehended that individual in October 2023 and subsequently released him. The current arrest occurred during the first week of October 2026. The specific court filing or charging document for this individual was not identified in the available source material. That document, if filed in federal district court, would confirm the charges and the individual's identity.

Flanagan, who has served as Minnesota's Lieutenant Governor since 2019, is running in a competitive Senate race. The Minnesota Senate seat is among those being watched as Republicans and Democrats contest control of the chamber. The Hill reported on October 20, 2026, that control of both the House and Senate is a point of active contest heading into the November midterm elections, with rising fuel costs cited as a leading voter concern.

The phrase "ripped apart" as used by Flanagan does not carry a precise legislative definition. It is not known whether she has introduced, co-sponsored, or publicly endorsed specific legislation to abolish or restructure ICE. The relevant public records that would clarify her formal policy position would be any bill she has sponsored in the Minnesota state legislature or any formal policy platform document released by her Senate campaign.

ICE, formally the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, operates under the Department of Homeland Security. It was created in 2003 following the reorganization triggered by the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-296). Its enforcement operations include both immigration enforcement and criminal investigations. The agency's annual budget for fiscal year 2025 was approximately $9.9 billion, according to DHS budget justification documents submitted to Congress.

Calls to abolish or significantly restructure ICE have appeared in Democratic primary politics since at least 2018, when several members of Congress and Senate candidates endorsed the position. No bill to abolish ICE has passed either chamber of Congress. The most recent legislative proposal to restructure the agency, introduced in prior Congresses, did not advance past committee.

Republican candidates and national party committees have used similar statements from Democratic candidates as campaign messaging in competitive races in prior election cycles. Whether the Minnesota Republican Senate campaign or national Republican Senate committees have formally responded to Flanagan's debate statement with paid advertising or official communications is not confirmed in the available source material. FEC filings for the current reporting period, which would reflect any advertising expenditure in response, would provide that information.

The DHS enforcement data cited above covers one week of operations and does not represent an annualized rate. The total number of ICE arrests for fiscal year 2026 has not been confirmed in the available source material. DHS releases enforcement statistics on a rolling basis, and the full fiscal year 2026 report would provide a complete comparison to prior years.

What remains unknown is the full text of Flanagan's debate remarks, including any qualifications or policy specifics she offered alongside the statement cited. A transcript or video record of the full debate, if publicly available through the debate's host organization, would provide that complete context. It is also unknown whether Flanagan's campaign has released a clarifying statement following the debate.