Talarico rally warmup act calls for abolishing ICE, contrasting Senate hopeful's message

By Fox News · Fox News

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. JAMES TALARICO TORCHES BIDEN BORDER POLICIES IN STUNNING ATTACK AD AS PROGRESSIVE TRIES TO FLIP TEXAS BLUE "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." EXCLUSIVE: RESURFACED VIDEO SHOWS JAMES TALARICO DISCUSSING ‘EXCITING’ OPPORTUNITY TO END ‘OVER-POLICING’ Talarico's recent remarks, however, depart from past comments . In January, during a primary debate with Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, 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. FOX NEWS POLL: MAJORITY SAYS IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT HAS CROSSED THE LINE Talarico also advocated for "hauling in" agents in front of Congress to testify on actions taken during enforcement actions. Abolishing ICE is an unpopular opinion among Republicans nationwide, with 67% strongly oppo…