Progressives Punch Back Against ICE Nationwide and in Nebraska
by Matt Johnson
OMAHA — Progressives have made criticism against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a leading issue heading into the 2026 midterms. Across the various “No Kings” protests this weekend and with an ongoing shutdown in Congress over funding for ICE, the message is clear: the Left has had enough of ICE.
Bruce Springsteen led a chant of “ICE out now!” to a crowd in Minnesota. Signs reading “Abolish ICE” and “No kings, no war, no ICE” were commonplace at rallies around the country. One masked agitator spray-painted “KILL YOUR LOCAL ICE AGENT” on a federal building in downtown Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, in Congress, Senate Democrats have attempted to block full funding to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) during an ongoing partial government shutdown—now the longest in U.S. history—unless it includes reforms to ICE and related border operations.
Trickle Down to Nebraska
Even within a conservative-leaning state like Nebraska, progressive candidates have engaged in rhetoric critical of ICE operations.
At a town hall in La Vista last fall, U.S. Senate candidate Dan Osborn condemned ICE agents for wearing masks. “Take your masks off, chicken shit,” Osborn said. “If you have to wear a mask to do your job, you’re probably doing something wrong.”
On a recent episode of the Dan Parsons Show, Denise Powell, a Democratic candidate in Nebraska’s second congressional district, called for scrutiny of ICE funding. “At the end of the day, this is about funding for ICE—ICE needs a complete overhaul,” Powell said. “And there needs to be a conversation in Congress about this.”
John Cavanaugh, another Democrat running for the seat, responded on Instagram to violence in Minnesota following ICE enforcement actions.
“Don’t be fooled by Donald Trump’s moves in Minnesota—he can’t cover up the killings of American citizens that he unleashed by sending ICE to Minneapolis. ICE must be held accountable, and its leadership removed now.”
Cavanaugh has been endorsed by the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, which has also endorsed representatives Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and others who have called to abolish ICE and, in some cases, introduced legislation to do so.
Ricketts’ Response
At an event in Omaha on Monday, U.S. Sen. Pete Ricketts spoke about the current push by Democrats against ICE, likening it to the anti-police protests of 2020.
“This is just another version of ‘Defund the Police,’” Ricketts said. “And we saw the Biden administration’s open-border policy—this is a continuation of that as well. They don’t want to have our borders secure. They don’t want enforcement of our immigration laws. And that’s what we’re seeing from Democrats who are fighting us.”
Ricketts also described what he said border patrol agents called a “night-and-day difference” between the Trump administration and the Biden administration when it comes to border security.
“Under the Biden administration, they were told they were supposed to be like Chick-fil-A—just get those people through. Now they feel like they’re doing their jobs,” Ricketts said. “In our reconciliation bill that we passed last year, we voted for $175 billion to help secure the border, finish the border-wall system, and hire more agents. And what you see is that we have brought illegal border crossings down to a 50-year low.”
Public Opinion Mixed
Polling shows that American opinion is split on immigration enforcement. Some recent polls show concern that ICE may have “gone too far,” with a February PBS News/NPR/Marist Poll finding two-thirds of Americans believe ICE has been too aggressive in enforcing immigration laws.
Americans continue to show broad support for immigration enforcement in general. A February 2026 Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 61% of Americans said they support deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally, while an earlier Harvard-Harris poll indicated that around two-thirds of voters support “closing the border with added security and policies that discourage illegal crossings.”
In a conservative-leaning state like Nebraska, it remains to be seen whether a push against ICE will help or hinder progressives hoping to flip Republican seats this fall.
— Matt Johnson is a freelance reporter with The Plains Sentinel.
