The progressive cause célèbre to abolish the U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement agency has been gaining traction in many parts of the country, including Oakland where the police department aided ICE agents during a raid in August 2017.

On Monday night, the Oakland City Council unanimously approved a resolution calling on Congress to abolish ICE. The resolution was authored by Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan.

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An Abolish ICE demonstration in San Francisco. PHOTO/Wikicommons

In January, following the ICE raid that occurred in West Oakland resulting in the arrest of two arrests–although neither was the original subject of the operation–Kaplan also backed a resolution reiterating with clarifications that the Oakland Police Department not coordinate any efforts with ICE. Oakland has been a sanctuary city since 1986.

“ICE’s actions have had ramifications in our own backyard. ICE came into West Oakland and tore apart a family while falsely slandering them–claiming it was a criminal case–when they were filing a civil deportation action and no criminal charges,” said Kaplan.

“We’ve now experienced enough of ICE telling lies, ripping apart families, and leaving guns loose where they get into the hands of murderers and spreading racism.”

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Oakland Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan

The “Abolish ICE” movement gained significant steam this summer in the aftermath of the Trump administration’s detention and family separation policy of undocumented immigrants.

Then only grew after the upset victory of progressive New York congressional Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who had used the issue to unseat moderate Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley.

Afterwards, a number of Democrats joined the fray in support of shutting down ICE, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Kirsten Gillenbrand–both potential 2020 presidential candidates–and several other members of Congress.