Local and state officials are complicit in attacks against ICE
Life has become increasingly difficult for ICE officers all over the country.
Susan Quinn | January 11, 2026 www.americanthinker.com
Life has become increasingly difficult for ICE officers all over the country. They are shouted at, spit on, and physically attacked. But the worst activities against them may be the protesters’ use of their own vehicles. And local officials are aiding and abetting them.
The statistics are alarming, documenting the number of attacks that ICE agents have endured:
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Thursday that ICE agents reported an ‘unprecedented increase’ of 3,200% in vehicular attacks over the past year, leading up to Wednesday’s incident in which an ICE officer shot and killed a driver during a protest in Minneapolis.
The data, which cite multiple instances in which attackers used their cars to ram law enforcement, sometimes causing injuries, suggest that Wednesday’s shooting is just one of numerous incidents officers have faced over the past year.
Along with the rise in vehicular attacks, authorities also saw more than a 1,300% increase in assaults and an 8,000% increase in death threats toward ICE agents, according to DHS.
Especially disturbing are the increasingly virulent attacks from sanctuary city officials. They see ICE’s presence as an affront and invasion of their communities. In point of fact, Governor Tim Walz has readied the National Guard (which is federally funded) because he perceives that the ICE agents (who are federal officers) are a danger to the community. Since DHS sees these officials as a potential danger to their agents, they have decided not to invite the city of Minneapolis to participate in the investigation of the recent shooting incident. They suspect that the ability to be objective on the part of the city and state officials might be compromised. Jonathan Turley, law professor at Georgetown University, criticized the government officials’ statements:
‘It’s reckless, and it’s a repeat of what we’ve seen in the past where these democratic politicians rush to feed the rage, and the result is often riots,’ said Turley on ’Fox and Friends’ Thursday. [snip]
Speaking publicly after the shooting, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey blamed ICE for the death and told the agency to ‘get the f--- out’ of the city.
‘They’re sowing chaos on our streets — and in this case, quite literally killing people,’ Frey said on Wednesday.
Frey also rejected DHS’s explanation of self-defense, calling it ‘bulls---’ after reviewing video of the shooting.
Turley criticized the mayor’s comments, saying that based on the information released so far, the shooting appears legally ‘justified.’
He cited the Supreme Court’s Tennessee v. Garner case which governs when officers can use deadly force.
Another factor that seems not to be considered is the legal ramifications of the city and state officials’ comments. Would identifying their comments as “aiding and abetting” be out of line? Since their words, at least in part, appear to be motivating the protestors to attack, verbally abuse, and ignore ICE instructions, I wanted to know if that legal definition might apply. Here’s what I found:
1. The act of helping, encouraging, or supporting someone in the commission of a crime.
2. To actively encourage, to assist, or to support the commission of a criminal act. [snip]
· Aiding – the giving of assistance or support to someone else in their commission of a crime.
· Abetting – the encouragement, or motivating someone to commit a crime. This may include rabble-rousing, goading, and instigating someone, or a crowd, to commit an illegal act.
This definition of “abetting” especially describes the actions of Jacob Frey. To my knowledge, he has said nothing to protesters about not violating the law. A person who aids and abets is considered a principal actor in the crime.
There appears to be a direct correlation between these activities and sanctuary cities.
Last year, Attorney General Pam Bondi had the sanctuary cities in her sights, and she decided to act against some of them in August 2025:
The Department of Justice identified nearly three dozen cities and states across the country on Tuesday that it said were sanctuaries for illegal immigrants and warned that it planned to take legal action against more of those jurisdictions.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement the cities and states, which mostly lean blue, have immigration policies that ‘impede law enforcement and put American citizens at risk by design.’
“The Department of Justice will continue bringing litigation against sanctuary jurisdictions and work closely with the Department of Homeland Security to eradicate these harmful policies around the country,” Bondi said.
Meanwhile, DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin has targeted the leaders of the sanctuary cities for demonizing ICE agents and putting their lives in danger:
‘This unprecedented increase in violence against law enforcement is a direct result of sanctuary politicians and the media creating an environment that demonizes our law enforcement and encourages rampant assaults against them. Dangerous criminals — whether they be illegal aliens or U.S. citizens — are assaulting law enforcement and turning their vehicles into weapons to attack law enforcement,’ McLaughlin said in a statement.
‘Still, the brave men and women of DHS will not be deterred and will continue arresting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens. Anyone who attacks law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.’
It’s time for DOJ and DHS aggressively to join forces and act.
No comments:
Post a Comment