President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration and deportation rollout has ignited anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) protests across the United States.
House Republicans told Fox News Digital there is a parallel between Democrats' rhetoric against federal immigration officers amid this crackdown and the surge in violence against ICE and Border Protection (CBP) officers.
"The increasingly violent attacks against law enforcement are being egged on by irresponsible Democratic politicians," Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., said in an exclusive interview.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on Monday blamed Democrats' "sanctuary city policies" for the shooting of an off-duty CBP officer in New York City.
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A second illegal immigrant has been apprehended in connection to the shooting of the CBP officer. He was reportedly struck in the face and forearm in Manhattan's Riverside Park on Saturday night. Miguel Francisco Mora Nunez, a Dominican national who was caught by Border Patrol in April 2023, was taken into custody following the shooting.
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"Without enforcing our immigration laws, we have no immigration laws," McClintock continued. "Without immigration laws, we have no border, and without a border we have no country. And that's what Americans suffered for four long years with the open borders policies of the Biden administration."
Democrat Sens. Alex Padilla and Cory Booker, two of the leading Capitol Hill critics of Trump's illegal immigration crackdown, have introduced legislation that would require immigration enforcement officers to clearly identify themselves without masks.
Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga, told Fox News Digital that he has "absolutely" seen an increase in violence, explaining that when a member of Congress uses "radical rhetoric," people take it to heart.
"We should be applauding them. We should be thankful to them. They are literally removing criminal aliens from our midst and making us a safer nation. And yet these radical Democrats are inflaming the public. And as a result, you're seeing more violence against them. And it's unconscionable that they do that," Clyde said.
Federal immigration law enforcement officers have been targeted since Trump signed his "big, beautiful bill" into law, which includes legislation for robust immigration reform. There were at least two ambushes in Texas, and protesters clashed with federal officers at the Portland, Oregon, ICE facility, over the Fourth of July weekend.
Rep. Michael Guest, R-Miss., told Fox News Digital that there has been "growing rhetoric by many on the Democratic side" from everyone except Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa. Particularly in Los Angeles, Guest pointed to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's and Mayor Karen Bass' anti-ICE rhetoric as protests delved into riots in the West Coast city last month.
Bass has signed a series of executive orders aimed at impeding ICE deportation raids in Los Angeles, criticizing the "unconstitutional, reckless raids" and establishing a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) working group that expands resources for families impacted by Trump's deportation rollout.
"When we have Democrats constantly attacking our ICE agents for what they're doing, demonizing them for enforcing the law, that is going to create more violence, and the situation is going to get worse and not better," Guest added.
Rep. Mariannette Miller‑Meeks, R‑Iowa, added in an interview with Fox News Digital that it's "unreal to me that people are attacking law enforcement agents trying to do their job."
She said the emphasis should be on supporting ICE and CBP agents.
"Keep the focus on deporting criminal illegals, people that are bad actors that should be out of the country, focusing on the influence of gangs and cartels in this country," Miller-Meeks added, urging her fellow House Republicans to remind Americans that these deportations are necessary due to the surge of illegal immigration under the Biden administration.
Fox News Digital reached out to Biden's office for comment but did not immediately hear back.
