The Democratic National Committee voted Saturday for concrete reforms to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It also voted to abolish ICE.
Both resolutions passed at the party’s general session in Austin. Neither vote is binding, and neither sets the 2028 Democratic platform. But party members put two different futures for federal immigration enforcement on the record.
Louisiana DNC member Michele Johnson sponsored the abolition measure. She argued that Democrats have lost trust by sounding academic and focus-grouped instead of taking a position. Yvonne Reeves-Chong voted no. She warned that abolition would please one part of the base and draw fire from voters Democrats need to win.
DNC Chairman Ken Martin tried to identify common ground. He said members agree that current ICE, Customs and Border Protection, and federal enforcement must change, even when they disagree over whether to reform or eliminate the agency.
Abolishing ICE would still leave Congress to decide where its immigration, detention and investigative duties go. Reform would keep the agency while changing rules, leadership or practices. The DNC approved support for both destinations without choosing the road between them.
The party’s full August 15 session records the vote. The Associated Press account reports the arguments from Johnson, Reeves-Chong and Martin.
Drone Tariffs Reach 100 Percent
President Donald Trump signed an August 13 proclamation imposing a 100 percent duty on imported drones weighing more than 25 kilograms, drones with thermal-imaging systems, their docking stations and specified critical parts. Smaller drones and many other components face 25 percent.
The proclamation caps rates on qualifying products from the European Union, Japan, Liechtenstein, South Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan at 15 percent. The cap for the United Kingdom is 10 percent.
China dominates civilian drone production, and military, police, emergency and industrial users depend heavily on foreign aircraft and parts. AUVSI has argued that subsidized Chinese products have weakened U.S. manufacturing and urged higher duties.
Tariffs are still paid by U.S. importers. Photographers, farmers, first responders and American assemblers that use foreign components can face higher costs before domestic production catches up.
An SEC-filed release identifies Donald Trump Jr. as an investor and adviser to U.S. drone-parts maker Unusual Machines. Its shares closed 24 percent higher Friday, according to Axios. The relationship and gain do not prove the president’s motive. They create a conflict-of-interest question about who benefits.
Missouri Watch
A Table Rock Lake petition with 1,627 signatures asks Missouri lawmakers to put wake-surfing boats at least 500 feet from shorelines, docks and other boats and in water at least 20 feet deep.
John Combest’s Sunday roundup pointed to the dispute. KY3 reports that organizer Kellie Geraghty presented the petition at a meeting attended by U.S. Rep. Eric Burlison and state Rep. Darin Chappell.
Ashley Sewell said a large wake threw her mother-in-law hard enough to cause a head injury. She also described water swamping a dock and endangering children ages two and four.
No bill has been filed. The petition does not seek a total ban. It asks lawmakers to draw a safety boundary between recreational use of a public lake and the families and property in a boat’s wake.
From the 4Liberty Network
Does a star athlete owe either political camp a declaration?
On Wake Up America, Austin Petersen asks New York Post features reporter Kirsten Fleming about political pressure in the WNBA. Fleming argues that Caitlin Clark has consistently chosen to be a basketball player rather than a political spokesman. She says she would welcome Clark speaking, but would not demand that Clark say what Fleming wants.
Going Viral
The Babylon Bee imagines Zohran Mamdani learning that New York City Hall does not come with an army for invading Poland.
What to watch next
The DNC’s votes do not write federal law, but candidates will now be asked which resolution they support and where ICE’s duties should go if the agency disappears.
The drone duties will test a different promise. Domestic factories may gain room to grow. Buyers will see whether supply expands quickly enough to offset higher import costs, and reporters should keep asking whether politically connected companies receive special treatment.
At Table Rock Lake, the next concrete step is a filed bill. Until then, the 500-foot and 20-foot rules remain a petition, not Missouri law.
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