Last week, in a joint operation between Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, federal authorities executed criminal search warrants at two marijuana facilities in California. The raids, characterized by some Democrats as an attack on “humble strawberry farmers,” ended in the arrest of 361 illegal immigrants and the recovery of 14 unaccompanied migrant children, who were likely the victims of forced labor and human trafficking.
Amid the operation, a masked assailant drew a firearm and began shooting at federal law enforcement, concealed by a crowd of hundreds of rioters disrupting the ICE operation.
Just weeks prior, officers were ambushed at an ICE facility in Texas. One officer was shot in the neck. That same day, assailants attempted to set fire to an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon. And a week ago, an American was killed after he opened fire at a CBP facility near the border.
For months, Democrats have been fueling this violence with inflammatory rhetoric, much akin to their propaganda campaign against President Donald Trump. By framing him as the end of American democracy itself, their rhetoric eventually culminated in two nearly successful assassination attempts.
While Democratic leaders typically enjoy an echo chamber of political conformity that justifies this behavior and their disdain for law enforcement, the latest polling reveals a different reality. Amid plummeting approval ratings, it seems Democrats remain rudderless, without leadership or coherent direction that would give voters a semblance of confidence in the future of the party.
While this isn’t our problem to solve, at the very least, I feel obligated to assure them that assaulting ICE agents and opposing the rule of law isn’t the winning issue they think it is.
Demonizing law enforcement is nothing new for Democrats. In fact, it’s a key part of their playbook. Just five years ago, they dismissed, if not openly encouraged, rioters across the nation as they set fire to local communities in the pursuit of “justice.” ICE, now empowered by an administration committed to immigration enforcement, is the latest target for liberals looking to sell the rule of law as tyranny.
Democratic leaders, including Minnesota’s Gov. Tim Walz, referred to ICE as a modern-day Gestapo. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu likened the agency’s officers to neo-Nazis. New York’s Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez flat-out stated ICE should not exist.
After the string of attempted murders in just the last few weeks, it seems the Left’s most fervent supporters have taken that sentiment literally.
The party, of course, desperate to show any signs of effectiveness, is perfectly content letting the most unhinged among them run wild. For them, the ends often justify the means.
To no one’s surprise, such recklessness appears to be deeply unpopular.
Approval ratings for Democrats are sitting below 35% among white and Hispanic men and “working class voters across the board,” according to the Hill. The poll, conducted by a Democratic super PAC, recorded voters as seeing the Democratic Party as “out of touch, woke, and weak.” This, while an Associated Press-NORC poll recorded an over 20% drop in optimism about the party’s future among surveyed Democrats.
To add insult to injury, a survey conducted by polling firm Cygnal found an 11-point increase among Hispanic voters expressing support for Trump’s deportation efforts in just the last three months, raising the total level of support to 50%.
Calling Democrats out of touch feels like a cliché, but with data like this, it’s impossible to call them anything else without running the risk of being censured on the House floor.
No amount of political theater or propaganda can hide the facts. Voters are tired of the Left’s assault on common-sense policy. People on both sides of the aisle are sick of feckless politicians committed to prioritizing illegal immigrants over their own people, often with policy that comes at their expense. The enforcement of basic immigration law and the rule of law itself are foundational to maintaining a sovereign nation.
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The public deserves leaders who put Americans first, not pander to the lawless fringe.
However, the Left’s struggle with reality should be a wake-up call to Republicans. The people are watching. It is not enough to simply hold Democrats at bay. We were elected to make good on our promises to the people, many of which remain to be done.
Eric Burlison represents Missouri’s 7th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives.