Senate Democrats scoffed at the Republicans’ notion that the violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers has anything to do with what their party members are saying.
Despite assaults skyrocketing against ICE officers and federal agents, Democrats say the GOP is politicizing any attacks, adding that the feds should have more stringent rules related to the arrest and deportation of illegal aliens.
The Department of Homeland Security says assaults on officers conducting immigration enforcement are up nearly 700% since the same time last year.
All the while, Democrats have compared federal officers enforcing immigration law to “Nazis,” “the Gestapo” and “vigilantes.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York told people to “fight” the Trump administration “in the streets” and said 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’s “inspiring” to obstruct immigration enforcement, while Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz described ICE agents as the “modern-day Gestapo.”
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu compared ICE agents to NSC-131, a neo-Nazi group that stands for Nationalist Social Club, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson described ICE officers as “masked, secret police … terrorizing our communities.”
The White House said Wednesday that Democrats “inspire vicious, escalating attacks on ICE” and that the assault spikes are a “direct consequence of dangerous, inflammatory rhetoric from Democrat politicians.”
“Absolutely not true,” Sen. Alex Padilla, California Democrat, told The Washington Times. “It would be helpful the way the Trump administration tried to enforce immigration law, respect due process, civil liberties, and that agents would identify themselves as law enforcement.
“When they come in and not identify [themselves], that creates confusion, escalates fear and tensions.”
Mr. Padilla is proposing legislation with fellow Democratic Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey that prohibits the wearing of masks by federal law enforcement officers, an idea that President Trump dunked on Wednesday.
“Well, they wouldn’t be saying that if they didn’t hate our country,” he said of the bill. “And they obviously do. I’m surprised that they would do it, knowing a little bit about them.”
When asked about concerns related to the personal safety of federal officers and their families who fear they will be doxed by activists if their identities become known, Mr. Padilla said, “There are appropriate exceptions to that, but all other federal law enforcement officials as well as state and locals have this requirement if the policy [applies].”
Republicans have pointed to a string of attacks against federal cops in recent weeks, including on July Fourth when 11 suspects ambushed officers at an ICE facility in Alvaredo, Texas.
After defacing vehicles with anti-ICE graffiti — including “ICE pig” and “F—- you pigs” — the assailants lured officers out of the building and opened fire, shooting one officer in the neck.
On that same day, at an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon, rioters assaulted federal agents. Officers were kicked, punched and targeted with an incendiary device.
Three days later, a perpetrator squeezed off several rounds of gunfire at a Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas. The shots hit the building and agents inside, sending two police officers and a Border Patrol employee to the hospital.
Sen. Raphael Warnock, Georgia Democrat, said that he didn’t think law enforcement officers “should be physically attacked, and masked men should not be appearing on our streets kidnapping citizens without identification.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, told his Democratic colleagues to “knock it off.”
He added in an interview on Fox News, “These are the same people who were in favor of masking our children. I don’t want to hear anything about ICE officers masking from them.”
Sen. Tim Kaine, Virginia Democrat, questioned why Republicans are trying to politicize the “injuries to law enforcement” as they’re “slashing law enforcement budgets.”
He said, “Violence against anybody, especially law enforcement, is unacceptable. But Republicans should not try and politicize this.”
