Sanctuary City Rhetoric Linked to 1,150% Rise in Violence Against ICE Agents
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported Monday that assaults and violent attacks against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have surged by over 1,150% compared to the same period in 2023, citing public ‘rhetoric’ from sanctuary jurisdictions as a contributing factor to the rising violence. From January 21 to November 21, DHS recorded 238 assaults on ICE officers, compared to just 19 during the same timeframe in the previous year.
Officials from DHS warned that the sharp rise in violence is tied to public ‘rhetoric’ from sanctuary-jurisdiction officials, emphasizing that such language could fuel further violence. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement, ‘Sanctuary politicians need to tone the rhetoric down before a law enforcement officer is killed.’
The report highlights a dangerous pattern of violence against law enforcement, including incidents where officers have been struck, shot at, or targeted with Molotov cocktails. These attacks not only endanger the lives of law enforcement but also threaten the rule of law in the nation.
McLaughlin also criticized the rhetoric from Democrat politicians, who have compared ICE to Nazis, the Gestapo, and slave patrols, which she said has contributed to the current climate of hostility. ‘After months of Democrat politicians comparing ICE to Nazis, the Gestapo, and even encouraging illegal aliens to resist arrest, our brave ICE law enforcement officers have been assaulted 238 times,’ she added.
DHS said the violence has included incidents such as officers being struck with a metal coffee cup, resulting in a lip laceration that required 13 stitches, and another officer being left bleeding from the head and suffering a concussion during an arrest.
Recent incidents include a Guatemalan national allegedly reversing his vehicle into an ICE agent’s leg in Homestead, Florida, nearly crushing the officer, and an organized July 4 ambush on federal officers at the Prairieland Detention Center, where at least 10 individuals opened fire.
In June, fugitive Eric Anthony Rodriguez, a man with a lengthy criminal record, allegedly attempted to attack officers with a Molotov cocktail at a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport, where 15 ICE and 12 CBP officers were staying.
The DHS press release stated, ‘These nationwide incidents show how ICE officers are being targeted because of the badge they wear, not just the enforcement operations they execute on behalf of the American people.’ The department added that any attack on those who enforce the nation’s laws amounts to an attack on the rule of law itself.