FIRST ON FOX: The House Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on December 3 examining anti-law enforcement rhetoric and its connection to increased violence against officers. The hearing is in response to rising attacks on ICE officers and a report from the Department of Homeland Security indicating a significant increase in violent encounters with federal immigration officials over recent months.
Committee Chair Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., asserted that the targeting of law enforcement officers is unacceptable and called for legislative action to ensure officers have the necessary tools and resources to protect communities. He emphasized the need to support law enforcement as they deal with heightened political tensions and threats of violence across America.
The hearing, titled ‘When Badges Become Targets: How Anti-Law Enforcement Rhetoric Fuels Violence Against Officers,’ will feature testimony from Michael Hughes, executive director of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association; Patrick Yoes, national president of the Fraternal Order of Police; and Jonathan Thompson, executive director and CEO of the National Sheriffs’ Association. These officials will discuss the impact of anti-law enforcement rhetoric and the measures needed to enhance officer safety.
The surge in violence against ICE agents has been highlighted by recent incidents, including a shooting near the Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, where an Alvarado Police Department officer was shot in the neck. Five individuals have since pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges linked to that attack. Another notable event was a shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas in September, resulting in two detainee fatalities. The FBI classified this incident as a targeted attack, and shell casings with ‘anti-ICE’ messages were discovered, suggesting a deliberate escalation of violence against immigration agents.
Rep. August Pfluger, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee’s counterterrorism and intelligence subcommittee, linked the Dallas shooting to a broader pattern of violence fueled by anti-law enforcement rhetoric and political extremism. He accused radicals on the Left of contributing to this environment of hostility toward law enforcement. Likewise, Rep. Michael Guest, chairman of the border security and enforcement subcommittee, highlighted the threat posed by radicals and transnational criminal organizations targeting law enforcement personnel, which he called an undermining of homeland security.
The White House has previously called on Democrats to reduce their rhetoric toward ICE, particularly in response to challenges against the Trump administration’s mass deportation policies. For example, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who blamed ICE for acting ‘like a terrorist force,’ has come under scrutiny for her comments, which the White House pressed her to address.