What the Ad Claims

A political action committee supporting incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., released a negative ad targeting Rep. Seth Moulton ahead of the September 1 Democratic primary. The ad from Commonwealth Together PAC claimed Moulton "voted with Republicans to thank ICE for protecting our homeland" and accused him of praising the agency while it "terrorized communities and killed citizens in broad daylight."

The ad included footage of a May 2025 ICE arrest of a Brazilian mother and her teenage daughter in Worcester, Massachusetts, as well as video from Minneapolis showing federal agents publicly killing Alex Pretti, a U.S. citizen and ICU nurse falsely labeled a domestic terrorist by the Trump administration.

Why the Ad Distorts the Record

The ad's central claim rests on H. Res. 488, a House resolution Moulton supported in June 2025 that condemned an antisemitic firebombing attack in Boulder, Colorado. Within its 417 words, a single clause expressed "gratitude to law enforcement officers, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for protecting the homeland."

The resolution was introduced by Rep. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., following the June 1 attack in which Egyptian national Mohamed Sabry Soliman — who had overstayed a tourist visa — injured over a dozen people and killed one. It passed 280-113, with 75 Democrats including Moulton voting in favor.

Notably, the ad omits that Moulton also voted for a separate resolution, H. Res. 481, which condemned the same attack without any reference to ICE.

Moulton's Actual Position: Abolish ICE

Following criticism of his vote, Moulton issued a statement on June 11, 2025, clarifying that supporting a resolution does not imply agreement with every word in it. "I will continue to loudly oppose Trump's agenda — especially his desires to weaponize ICE," he wrote.

According to multiple reports, Moulton has publicly called for abolishing or significantly reforming ICE in 2026 and has consistently voted against Trump's immigration enforcement agenda for a decade.

The Broader Context: ICE Under Trump's Second Term

The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of aggressive immigration enforcement under Trump's second term. ICE operations have drawn widespread condemnation after affecting U.S. citizens, including two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis within three weeks of each other.

The Markey campaign's strategy appears aimed at using Moulton's single resolution vote to brand him as ICE-friendly among progressive voters. However, fact-checkers found the ad cherry-picks one phrase from a longer resolution while omitting Moulton's consistent anti-ICE record.

Outlook [Expert Analysis]

With the September 1 primary approaching, immigration policy is likely to remain a defining issue. The effectiveness of the anti-ICE framing against Moulton remains uncertain. Analysts suggest that Democratic politicians navigating the intersection of antisemitism condemnation and anti-immigration opposition will likely face similar rhetorical attacks unless they develop clearer political messaging that addresses both issues simultaneously.