House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) got testy after he was put on the spot over whether all of the tough talk about abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would translate into action.
Democrats are determined to eviscerate the Trump administration’s ability to enforce federal immigration law and are currently extorting Senate Republicans to severely hobble ICE by refusing to go along with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding after the shootings of two left-wing militants who were interfering with federal agents in Minneapolis, deaths cynically used to whip up their base in an election year.
When the top House Democrat was pressed about the issue by Wajahat Ali in the latest edition of Joy Reid’s YouTube podcast, Jeffries declined to answer and claimed that he didn’t “understand” the question, sparking an uncomfortable exchange with the left-wing co-host.
.@RepJeffries “can’t understand” my questions about why he won’t lead and embrace “Abolish ICE.”
I was speaking English, and my microphone wasn’t muted.
Listen for yourselves. pic.twitter.com/Fhkwdsitqy
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) February 15, 2026
“You said you want to rein in ICE. I’m saying — I’m talking about the long-term now — why not lead and say ‘Abolish ICE’?” Ali asked, accusing the minority leader of telling taxpayers they need to continue to fund what he called a “lawless [and] masked armed agency” and demanded to know how Jeffries would explain it to the voters the party needs to show up in November if he is to become the next House Speaker.
“I don’t understand anything that you just said,” Jeffries claimed as he threw up his arms, dodging an answer.
“I spoke English,” Ali responded, not buying the New York City Democrat’s excuse.
“I don’t understand anything you just said to me when I’ve made clear that taxpayer dollars should be used to make life more affordable for the American people, not brutalize or kill them,” Jeffries said, again declining to give a direct answer on abolishing the agency. “That’s the whole reason we’re in this fight right now, that’s the whole reason that DHS is getting ready to shut down.”
“So, Abolish ICE. You agree with me and Joy, Abolish ICE,” Ali said, again seeking to get Jeffries on the record.
“Listen, I’m gonna use the language that I wanna use, you can use the language you wanna use,” the House leader replied, wriggling off the hook rather than simply admit that shutting down ICE is the ultimate goal of Democrats, depriving Republicans of a quote that they could use to stress the importance of the midterms to voters who want to see illegal aliens deported.
One Facebook user remarked that “Squirrelly non-answers like this are why @repjeffries & @senschumer’s approvals are lowest of the major Dems,” referring to Jeffries and his upper chamber counterpart, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who have spent the entirety of President Donald J. Trump’s first year yapping about ICE and resisting the deporting of criminal illegals.
Leftists want to see action from “Dollar Store Obama” instead of just trash-talking.
Hakeem got more aggressive to Wajahat and Joy than he did to Trump or Mike Johnson.
What a pathetic little coward.
— NO MORE FUCKING WARS!!! (@MclendonL) February 15, 2026
the most effort hakeem jeffries has done for the democratic party was lifting up a bat in his office for a photo pic.twitter.com/EucmAHJ0rB
— Middy (@middyishappy) February 15, 2026
He sounded like Bondi when she was answering questions the other day. That’s a choice.
— Alana Hunt (@getting2happier) February 15, 2026
He can’t answer a simple question with yes or no because he knows the answer will get him sacked. Even a “yes. Abolish ICE and….” would have sufficed. He’s a failure as a leader & has to go. These games Dems have gotten away with for so long are no longer be tolerated
— Michelle (@Mloro88) February 15, 2026
@RepJeffries is a career politician, he is useless to us. He cares more about his money and fame than he does about the people of this country. He will never have my support for prez and should never be speaker.
— mugu (@muguchamugu) February 15, 2026
So this is what democratic leadership looks like, eh? @RepJeffries is forcing me to vote 3rd party #demexit
— kevin (@kevinmidway) February 15, 2026
Jeffries now finds himself in the uncomfortable position of actually having to deliver if he desires to wield the Speaker’s gavel, and the rabidly anti-ICE base isn’t going to settle for his mealy-mouthed non-answers.
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