Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., on Newsmax on Thursday accused Democrats of fueling hostility toward federal immigration officers, saying rhetoric targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement has led to a surge in assaults and threats against agents and contributed to a deadly confrontation now under investigation.
Speaking during an interview with "National Report," Britt, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said ICE officers are carrying out the law and should not be vilified by elected officials.
Her comments came after a shooting in Minneapolis involving an ICE agent and a woman who died after a confrontation during an enforcement action.
"This is a tragic situation," Britt said. "Any loss of life is something that we all mourn." She added that Democrats "have to assume responsibility for creating an environment that should have never existed."
Britt said criticism of law enforcement has been building for years and has intensified in recent months as immigration enforcement has increased. She pointed to rhetoric that likens ICE officers to Nazis or a Gestapo-style force, arguing such language emboldens people to resist officers in dangerous ways.
"At the end of the day, one thing that everyone needs to remember is law enforcement officers leave the safety of their home each and every day so that we can return to ours," Britt said.
The Alabama Republican claimed assaults on ICE officers have risen 1,300% and death threats have increased 8,000%, figures she attributed to statements by Democratic leaders and activists. She said ICE agents are deployed to enforce existing law and "keep people safe," not to provoke confrontations with residents.
The shooting has prompted sharp criticism from Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who said there was "no evidence that has been presented to justify the shooting of an unarmed woman" and called for a criminal investigation of the agent involved. Jeffries also questioned the credibility of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Britt pushed back strongly on those remarks, calling them irresponsible while an investigation is ongoing.
"I take offense to his comments of so-called secretary," Britt said. "She was actually confirmed here in the United States Senate. She is the secretary of Homeland Security. So let's stop with rhetoric like that."
Britt said the Department of Homeland Security has defended the actions of the officer involved, noting that video shows the woman placing her vehicle in drive after being ordered to stop and exit the car. She said the ICE officer was clipped by the vehicle and hospitalized.
"Look, there will be a full investigation of this. We will get the answers that we need," Britt said. "But the rhetoric like that from the minority leader in the House is absolutely ridiculous."
Britt said she was in the Oval Office when President Donald Trump viewed the video and described him as committed to securing the border and enforcing existing immigration laws.
"The president has made it very clear he is going to secure our border," she said. "He is going to enforce the laws that are on the books. And if you don't like the laws that are on the books, then change them."
She said voters supported tougher enforcement in the November election and warned that continued attacks on law enforcement risk further violence.
"Let's not incite other people to behave like this and put people in harm's way," Britt said. "It's absolutely ridiculous, and it's got to stop."
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Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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