The House Homeland Security Committee announced it will convene a hearing on December 3 to investigate the impact of anti-law enforcement rhetoric on the escalating violence against officers, including ICE agents. The hearing, entitled ‘When Badges Become Targets: How Anti-Law Enforcement Rhetoric Fuels Violence Against Officers,’ follows a sharp increase in attacks on federal immigration officials, with the Department of Homeland Security reporting a near 700% surge in assaults against ICE officers compared to the previous year.
Committee Chairman Andrew Garbarino, a Republican from New York, condemned the targeting of law enforcement, emphasizing the need for congressional support to ensure the safety of officers. ‘It is unacceptable that the brave men and women of law enforcement, who risk their lives daily to secure the homeland and protect the public, are facing targeted violence from radicals and international gangs on U.S. soil,’ Garbarino stated in a Monday statement to Fox News Digital. He called for the provision of resources and tools to law enforcement to safeguard their mission.
The hearing will include testimony from leaders of major law enforcement associations, including Michael Hughes of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, Patrick Yoes of the Fraternal Order of Police, and Jonathan Thompson of the National Sheriffs’ Association. These officials will provide insights into the growing threat posed by anti-law enforcement rhetoric and the necessity of legislative action.
Recent incidents of violence against law enforcement have sparked concerns across the nation. In July, an officer at ICE’s Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, was shot in the neck. Five individuals pleaded guilty to terrorism-related charges stemming from this attack. In September, a shooter opened fire at an ICE facility in Dallas, resulting in the deaths of two detainees. The FBI investigated the attack as a targeted assault, and the Department of Homeland Security confirmed the presence of anti-ICE messages on the shell casings found at the scene.
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. ‘The recent deadly shooting at a Dallas ICE facility wasn’t an isolated attack—it was part of a broader pattern of violence spurred on by anti-law enforcement rhetoric and heightened political extremism perpetrated by radicals on the Left,’ Pfluger stated.
DHS also reported information suggesting that Mexican cartels have placed bounties on ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel. Although President Claudia Sheinbaum of Mexico denied having knowledge of these bounties, she urged her government to seek more information. Rep. Michael Guest, chairman of the committee’s border security and enforcement subcommittee, emphasized the threat posed by such groups, stating, ‘The radicals and transnational criminal organizations who are targeting law enforcement for doing their jobs are undermining our homeland security and threatening the safety of every American in doing so.’
The White House has previously encouraged Democrats to temper their speech toward ICE, particularly in light of the Trump administration’s deportation policies. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, a Democratic representative from Washington, criticized ICE as acting ‘like a terrorist force’ in June, a remark she later maintained despite White House pressure for an apology. These incidents have further fueled the committee’s argument that anti-ICE rhetoric is contributing to the surge in attacks against law enforcement.