Democratic New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s successor in the House of Representatives could be a proud supporter of the “Abolish ICE” movement.
Analilia Mejia, a far-left candidate running in a crowded Democratic primary to replace Sherrill, led a raucous crowd in an “Abolish ICE” chant Monday evening. Mejia cited the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 as part of her rationale for completely dismantling the agency.
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“I say abolish ICE now,” Mejia said to considerable applause, adding that Good deserved “justice.” The Trump administration has alleged the ICE agent fired in self-defense after Good attempted to use her vehicle as a weapon.
“You can’t reform that,” Mejia continued, referring to ICE. “It’s not fixable. Get it out. Kick it over. It is wrong. Forget it.”
Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has endorsed Mejia, headlined the campaign rally attended by more than 500 people as part of his “Fight Oligarchy” tour. She previously served as the national political director for Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign.
Mejia has also secured endorsements from other leading progressives ahead of the Feb. 5 special election primary. Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, the Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka have publicly backed Mejia’s run.
Mejia’s explicit endorsement of the “abolish ICE” movement comes as Democrats nationwide are pledging to defund or completely dismantle the agency despite the risk of alienating moderate Democrats and independent voters. Progressive Democrats first embraced the “abolish ICE” platform during the first Trump administration, but distanced themselves from the position amid Democratic losses in 2022 and 2024.
Sherill, who resigned from Congress in December 2025 after her gubernatorial win, was sworn in as New Jersey’s 57th governor Tuesday.
Meijia issued veiled criticism of the ten other candidates vying for the Democratic nomination, including former New Jersey Rep. Tom Malinowski, who was ousted from Congress in 2022 amid an ethics probe. Essex County commissioner Brendan Gill, who is supported by former New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, and outgoing Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way are also in the mix.
“In a moment of rising authoritarianism, of economic insecurity, of state-sanctioned violence, any old blue just won’t do,” Mejia said. “If you send ‘weak sauce’ to Congress, we will get ‘weak sauce’ back.”
Randolph mayor Joe Hathaway is running unopposed in the Republican primary. The special general election is slated for mid-April.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, House Republicans’ campaign arm, sharply criticized Mejia’s embrace of the “Abolish ICE” movement in a statement Tuesday.
“Progressive hero Analilia Mejia’s far-left agenda is unmatched. Mejia wants to roll out the red carpet for far-left ideas like abolishing ICE and raising taxes on working families,” NRCC spokeswoman Maureen O’Toole said. “She’s got it all backwards, and New Jersey voters won’t buy it.”
The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the contest as “Solid Democrat.” Sherrill won the heavily-Democratic seat by roughly 15 points in 2024.
Democratic Michigan Rep. Shri Thanedar introduced legislation that would completely dismantle ICE Thursday. No Democrats have yet to cosponsor the “abolish ICE” bill.
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