Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), the first immigrant previously without legal status to enter Congress, called on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to be dismantled during the second Hill Nation Summit in Washington on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.

“What everybody’s seen was happening across the nation, really, not just Houston,” Espaillat told NewsNation’s Libbey Dean. “ICE as an agency that’s gripped with a culture of violence, very aggressive –– it’s almost like the violence is endemic in the very DNA of it right now, and I think it needs to be dismantled.”

Espaillat emphasized the need for lawmakers to have a “deep discussion” about ICE’s future and how the U.S. handles federal immigration enforcement. He referenced two recent fatal shootings involving ICE in Houston and Biddeford, Maine, and said he plans to travel to Houston for a field hearing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Lorenzo Salgado Araujo’s death last week.

“We’re going to have this hearing and hear from witnesses, see the evidence that’s there, and get to the bottom of this,” Espaillat said. “What’s going on with this rogue agency?”

The congressman also advocated for ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials to wear body cameras, noting he authored the ICE and CBP Body Camera Accountability Act. He highlighted that footage from these cameras could serve as evidence in court during criminal investigations or contested pursuits.

While ICE traffic stops were reportedly expected to be paused, President Trump stated on Wednesday that they would continue. Separately, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin affirmed that ICE would persist in making arrests and assisting with deportations, urging those in the country illegally to leave.

Sources