FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 23, 2026
Contact: [email protected]
Lexington, KY — Today, U.S. Senate candidate Charles Booker unveiled his SALT Plan — Stop Agents’ Lawlessness and Terror, a policy agenda he will pursue when elected to the U.S. Senate, while speaking at an anti-ICE rally in Lexington.
Booker made the announcement as advocates across the country continue to raise concerns about ICE’s conduct and call for an end to the agency’s presence in local communities.
“For too long, ICE has operated without real accountability — terrorizing families, violating constitutional rights, and acting as though it is above the law,” Booker said. “When elected to the U.S. Senate, I will work to abolish ICE, hold agents who abuse their power accountable, and build a system that reflects our values of dignity, fairness, and community safety.”
Under the SALT Plan, Booker will pursue legislation to:
Abolish ICE by ending funding for the agency and dismantling it entirely.
Create real accountability by ending qualified immunity for ICE agents and establishing clear legal pathways for people harmed by ICE to seek justice.
Ensure prosecution of unlawful conduct by federal agents, including violations of constitutional rights, falsification of records, and the use of excessive force.
Replace ICE with a humane immigration enforcement system that prioritizes due process, compliance, and community safety without mass detention or blanket deportation.
Booker’s plan would end the use of immigration detention for civil violations and instead emphasizes cooperative enforcement models used by other federal agencies, as well as voluntary and incentivized compliance approaches that have shown success in other countries.
“We can enforce the law without cruelty or fear,” Booker said. “Kentuckians believe in accountability and fairness — and our immigration system should reflect those values.”
Booker has long called for the abolition of ICE and has consistently demanded accountability for agents who unlawfully cause harm. The SALT Plan represents his most detailed legislative framework to date for restructuring federal immigration enforcement.