The Trump administration released a list of nearly 30 Democratic elected officials Friday, accusing them of inciting violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents following a deadly shooting at an ICE facility in Texas.
The White House named Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Illinois Governor JB Pritzker at the top of the list, published days after 29-year-old Joshua Jahn opened fire on an ICE facility in Dallas before fatally shooting himself.
“The carnage in Dallas, Texas, where a maniac with ‘ANTI-ICE’ ammo gunned down an ICE field office in an attack clearly targeted at ICE personnel, lays bare the deadly consequences of Democrats’ unhinged crusade against our border enforcement,” the White House stated.
The administration claimed Democratic officials have “spent years vilifying ICE as ‘fascists,’ ‘the Gestapo,’ and ‘slave patrols,’ inciting a 1,000% surge in assaults on agents and a wave of Radical Left terror.”
The White House compilation included quotes attributed to each official, ranging from comparisons to historical authoritarian forces to calls for agency abolition. Representatives Pramila Jayapal, Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Ilhan Omar were among those cited for harsh ICE criticism.
Several officials were quoted comparing ICE operations to Nazi Germany or historical oppression. The list included mayors from Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles, along with senators and House representatives who have publicly criticized immigration enforcement tactics.
Wednesday’s Dallas shooting targeted the ICE office building, including a van containing detainees in a gated entryway. One detainee was killed and two others critically wounded, while no ICE personnel were injured.
The White House characterized the officials’ statements as creating a climate that encourages violence against federal immigration agents. The administration argued that rhetoric comparing ICE to historical oppressive forces constitutes dangerous incitement.
Democratic officials have consistently defended their criticism as legitimate oversight of federal agencies, arguing that immigration enforcement practices deserve scrutiny and that comparing operations to historical examples serves as important warnings about government overreach.
The timing of the White House list release suggests an attempt to connect political rhetoric with the Texas violence, though no direct evidence has been presented linking the shooter’s motivations to specific political statements.
Immigration enforcement has become increasingly contentious during the Trump administration’s expanded deportation operations, with Democratic officials arguing that mass deportations violate constitutional protections and humanitarian principles.
The administration’s characterization of political criticism as incitement raises questions about the boundaries of legitimate political discourse regarding federal law enforcement activities and immigration policy.
