The White House on Wednesday accused Democrats opposed to President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration of stoking violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
"As ICE agents risk their lives to secure our borders and protect our communities, they're facing a 700% surge in assaults — a direct consequence of dangerous, inflammatory rhetoric from Democrat politicians," the White House said in a document titled "Democrats Inspire Vicious, Escalating Attacks on ICE."
The report listed three recent attacks at ICE facilities in Texas and Oregon, including a July 4 ambush near the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas. One officer was shot in the neck, and multiple armed suspects were taken into custody. The injured officer was treated at a Fort Worth hospital and released.
The document also listed examples of "unhinged Democrats inciting rhetoric and lies":
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York implored people to "fight" the Trump administration "in the streets" and declared ICE agents "will be unsuccessful" in protecting their identities "no matter what it takes."
- Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, called ICE agents "deranged" and said it is "inspiring" to obstruct immigration enforcement.
- Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey — who was arrested and charged with "forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers" outside an ICE detention facility — incited her supporters to "shut down the city" because "we are at war."
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, former Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate last year, called ICE agents the "modern-day gestapo."
- Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson accused "secret police" of "terrorizing our communities."
- Rep. Eric Swalwell of California said it was his "priority" to ensure ICE agents "are no longer faceless," comparing them to "some 1800s bank robber or some KGB officer in Russia."
On Tuesday, Democrat Sens. Alex Padilla of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey introduced legislation to require immigration enforcement officers to display clearly visible IDs and not wear masks during public enforcement operations, accusing the administration of "alarming immigration enforcement tactics that have terrorized communities across California and the nation."
Charles Marino, a former senior adviser to the Department of Homeland Security in Trump's first term, told Newsmax on Wednesday that the left "doesn't care" that its rhetoric is endangering the lives of federal law enforcement agents by inciting violence.
"The rhetoric from the left brings out the crazies — it's as simple as this," Marino said. "We saw it during the assassination attempts on President Trump, where this rhetoric about him being a threat to democracy brought out people that wanted to do him significant harm and take him out of the picture, and it continues here now against law enforcement."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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