Beshear on CNN: Pull ICE From Cities? Really?

Adriana Stone 0 1 min read

Beshear: Pull ICE From Cities? Really?

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear went on CNN and dropped a bold demand. He wants ICE agents removed from cities and retrained from top to bottom. Short, sharp, and politically charged.

The host asked a pointed question: “Once he leaves there, what are you going to do if and when a massive ICE operation is launched in Kentucky?”

Beshear answered plainly: “Well, the first thing we have to do is demand that they pull these officers out of all of our cities and that they fully retrain every single one of them. They are operating with aggressive tactics that are not appropriate for law enforcement. They are not following our Constitution and giving people their rights.”

That line landed like a splash of cold water. He painted ICE as heavy-handed. He framed retraining as a fix. He called for a reset.

Here’s the reality critics point to. ICE agents carry out federal orders. They arrest suspected illegal-immigration violators and enforce deportation rules. Those actions, by definition, happen in communities. Pulling agents out of cities would limit enforcement in population centers. It would also hand activists another talking point.

There’s another piece missing in Beshear’s pitch. In many protests, ICE agents face harassment and physical attacks from radical crowds. That context gets little play in calls to retrain. If officers are under assault while trying to do their jobs, retraining alone won’t fix the roots of the problem.

Supporters of stronger enforcement say public safety should come first. They argue retraining could mean reined-in actions against criminals. Opponents worry retraining could tie agents’ hands, or be used to slow operations instead of improving them.

This debate will play out in courts, on the campaign trail, and in state capitals. It’s not just about training. It’s about who enforces federal law and how communities stay safe.

If Beshear gets what he wants, expect fights in Washington and in Kentucky. Expect vocal pushback from conservatives who call this a soft-on-crime move. Expect advocates for immigrants to cheer.

Here’s the video link from the original coverage:

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