Former Saturday Night Live star and comedian Leslie Jones has issued a fiery call for the arrest of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents should the Democratic Party regain control of the US Congress in the upcoming midterm elections.
A Call for a Political 'Reckoning'
Jones made the explosive remarks during an appearance on MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace's 'The Best People' podcast on Monday. In a nearly hour-long discussion, the 58-year-old actress and Wallace heavily criticised the political atmosphere cultivated under former President Donald Trump's administration.
"I don’t know. It just feels like the upside-down world," Jones stated on the episode titled 'Leslie Jones GOES OFF on Trump's "PIGGY" attack.' She expressed frustration that individuals can act terribly yet face no consequences, citing freedom of speech protections. Wallace agreed, adding, "Gravity. Things should fall."
Jones emphasised the need for accountability, replying, "You can't continue to keep doing some wrong and you're not going to pay for that."
Midterm Hopes and ICE Agent Focus
When asked how she believes the current political "era" ends, Jones pinned her hopes on the 2022 midterm elections. She urged voters to turn out "like crazy" to flip control of Congress to the Democrats. Currently, both the House of Representatives and the Senate are under Republican control, with 53 Republican Senators out of 100 and 220 Republican Representatives out of 435.
The last period of Democratic control in both chambers was the 117th Congress, from January 2021 to January 2023.
Shifting to the topic of a "reckoning," the SNL cast member of five seasons directly targeted federal immigration officers. "That’s why I want, all, everybody that work for ICE, I want them in jail. I just want a reckoning," Jones declared. "Y’all know y’all did wrong stuff. You know some of the stuff you did was so wrong. I need a reckoning. Because that’s, to me, that’s the only thing that’s going to make it right."
A History of Outspoken Anti-Trump Criticism
Jones has a long history of vocal, left-leaning political commentary and criticism of Donald Trump. In an October interview on The Daily Beast’s 'Last Laugh' podcast, she revealed a dark joke made backstage at SNL in 2015 ahead of Trump's appearance as host.
Recalling a pre-show meal attended by Trump, his wife Melania, daughter Ivanka, and son-in-law Jared Kushner, Jones said she turned to co-star Taran Killam and quipped, "If I kill this whole side of the table, maybe I'll save the world." She later reflected, "But I always think back, like, was I supposed to do it? I would’ve saved the world! I would be in jail, but I would've saved the world."
More recently, while guest-hosting The Daily Show in late May, Jones launched a verbal attack on the Trump administration and Elon Musk. "I've got a problem with these Trump folks," she said. "My problem is these people are goofy-a** motherf**kers. I cannot believe America is going to be ended by these f**king loser incels."
Her latest comments on the podcast underscore the intense partisan divisions in US politics as the country approaches a pivotal election cycle.
