Talarico rally warmup act calls for abolishing ICE, contrasting Senate hopeful's message
Texas House candidate calls for abolishing ICE at James Talarico Rally
Malik Williams, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in Texas' 83rd legislative district, called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and for legalizing marijuana to raucous applause during a Tuesday rally for for Senate nominee James Talarico in Lubbock, Texas.
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Malik Williams, a Democratic candidate for a seat in Texas' state legislature, called for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and for legalizing marijuana during a Tuesday rally for U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico in Lubbock, Texas.
"We can legalize and tax THC and cannabis. We're gonna abolish ICE, we're gonna tax the rich and we're going to get my friend, the next United States Senator from the state of Texas, James Talarico, elected!" Williams exclaimed to raucous applause.
Talarico, a Democrat running in a historically Republican state, has shied away from making such direct calls to abolish ICE while on the campaign trail.
During a joint CNN and Jubilee town hall, Talarico directly denied wanting to abolish ICE when asked if he supported the idea.
Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who is running for U.S. Senate, speaks during a town hall on Saturday, July 11, 2026, at the Plaza Theatre in El Paso, Texas. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
"No, and I never have," Talarico responded, adding "we need Immigration and Customs Enforcement in this country, but that's not what we're seeing. What we've seen over the last year is a secret police force, and that's what we don't want in this country."
Talarico's recent remarks, however, depart from past comments. In January, during a primary debate with Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Tex., Talarico said it was time to "tear down" ICE.
"ICE shot a mother in the face. ICE kidnapped a 5-year-old boy. ICE executed a man in broad daylight on our streets just this morning. It's time to tear down this secret police force and replace it with an agency that actually is going to focus on public safety," he said.
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Talarico also advocated for "hauling in" agents in front of Congress to testify on actions taken during enforcement actions.
Texas state Rep. James Talarico, left, and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, both Democrats and U.S. Senate candidates, participate in a debate during the 2026 Texas AFL-CIO COPE Convention in Georgetown, Texas, on Jan. 24. (Bob Daemmrich/The Texas Tribune/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Abolishing ICE is an unpopular opinion among Republicans nationwide, with 67% strongly opposing the idea, according to a July YouGov/The Economist poll. The same poll found 48% of Americans overall supporting ICE's abolition.
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Texas voters, meanwhile, have a moderately negative view of the agency as a whole. Only 42% of the state views the agency as very favorable or somewhat favorable, compared to 47% of the state viewing ICE as somewhat unfavorable or very unfavorable, according to a February poll from The Texas Politics Project.
People protest against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Sept. 20, 2026, in Austin, Texas. A federal ICE officer shot and wounded a person earlier in the day in North Austin. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
In introducing Talarico on Tuesday, Williams also stumped a wide number of policies popular with the rising crop of Democratic Socialists while appearing to bash President Donald Trump and Talarico's Republican opponent Ken Paxton.
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"When we have embarrassing loser representatives that support a fascist, racist, rapist, war criminal, I say we deserve better! When the backbone of Texas, our ranchers and farmers tell us that they do not want data centers and then our politicians, as they love to do, they force it upon us without consent, I say we deserve better!" Williams exclaimed to fanfare.
Malik Williams is the Democratic party's nominee running for election to the Texas House of Representatives to represent District 83. James Talarico was at the rally at the Fiesta Center in Lubbock, Texas on Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026. (USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect)
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Williams also advocated for further funding in public education, guaranteed childcare and an expansion of healthcare, all popular policies with the Democratic Socialists of America.
The Talarico, Williams, and Paxton campaigns did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital for further comment.
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