CA Democrats condemn ICE at gubernatorial debate, call for it to be abolished
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Democrats attending Tuesday night’s California gubernatorial debate unanimously condemned Immigration and Customs Enforcement, with some calling for its complete repeal.
“People are afraid to even see a doctor. When I become governor, I will reinstate universal health care for everyone, including undocumented immigrants in the state of California, because we know health care is a right,” said State Schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond.
“I will work with Congress until they abolish ICE. [will] “A better California is possible if we open the path to citizenship,” he added.
Thurmond’s message was echoed across the stage in San Francisco, from billionaire Tom Steyer to former Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
BORDER STATE SENATOR WANTS ICE ‘COMPLETELY DESTROYED’
From left, Xavier Becerra, Steve Hilton, Matt Mahan, Tom Steyer, Tony Thurmond, Antonio Villaraigosa and Betty Yee stand onstage during the California gubernatorial candidate debate on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Laure Andrillon)
Steyer told the audience: “This country was built by immigrants. This state wouldn’t work without immigration. Of course we need a fair system, but this is the opposite of that.”
“You can’t really reform an organization that is completely wrong and criminal from top to bottom,” he continued.
Becerra, meanwhile, vowed to “oversee immigration policing.”
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Xavier Becerra (left) and Steve Hilton attend the California gubernatorial candidate debate in San Francisco on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Laure Andrillon)
The two California mayors on stage, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan and former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, stopped short of calling for the complete abolition of ICE. Mahan accused federal agents of threatening people’s “rights and civil liberties.”
Villaraigosa was more aggressive, comparing ICE officers to the “Ku Klux Klan” and describing them as “dressed from head to toe, all covered up like the Ku Klux Klan with assault weapons, flash bombs, beating women, children and innocents.”
Former California state comptroller Betty Yee has been the quietest on the issue, claiming that she encouraged immigrants and protesters to receive “know your rights” training and that immigrants in the state are taxpayers.
Antonio Villaraigosa (left) listens to Betty Yee during the California gubernatorial candidate debate on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Laure Andrillon)
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“When people understand that immigrants contribute greatly to our economy and society in California … and that’s what we’re going to build together. We are a sanctuary state,” Yee said. “Ice has no business coming in and tearing communities apart, tearing families apart.”
Tuesday’s debate was the second in the state’s Democratic primary race, with the primary election scheduled for June 2.
