The White House continued its defense of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent involved in a fatal shooting in Minnesota by issuing a statement accusing Democrats of “recklessly, deliberately” stoking “hatred and division” against the agency.
The statement counts off 57 times the Democrats made “sick, unhinged” comments and criticized lawmakers for their rhetoric.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment via email on Friday evening.
Why It Matters
The statement follows two shootings involving ICE agents this week: The first, on Wednesday in Minneapolis, was deadly, ending the life of Renee Nicole Good and drawing national scrutiny as well as condemnation from Democrats. The second, on Thursday in Portland, Oregon, wounded two people later alleged by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as associates of the Tren de Aragua gang.
Good’s death has stirred up division along party lines, with the White House and Republicans defending ICE agent Jonathan Ross while Democrats have criticized the agency and call for his prosecution. Both sides remained deeply entrenched in their stances, even after video footage from the perspective of the ICE agent was released to news media.
Vice President JD Vance took an especially strong stance on the death and reporting around it, calling those who accused Ross of murder “radicals,” while saying that Good’s death was “a tragedy of her own making.”
President Donald Trump previously called for an end to divisive rhetoric in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
What To Know
The statement, posted on the White House website, is titled “57 Times Sick, Unhinged Democrats Declared War on Law Enforcement” and lists each instance, with links to social media posts or interviews with media and names the person who made each comment.
The White House praised ICE and its mission to “valiantly” defend “our sovereignty and communities,” linking the post to National Law Enforcement Appreciation Day.
The list labels the comments as “smears,” variously saying the Democrats “accused” and “attacked” ICE agents with their words, adding, “unhinged Radical Left Democrats have escalated their torrent of vicious, inflammatory attacks on these very heroes — branding them as Nazis, terrorists, and Gestapo thugs while inciting their delusional supporters to unleash violence.”
The list includes comments from U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortes of New York; Rashida Tlaib of Michigan; Summer Lee of Pennsylvania; and Joaquin Castro of Texas, as well as Mayors Brandon Johnson of Chicago; Zohran Mamdani of New York City; Michelle Wu of Boston; and Karen Bass of Los Angeles.
Most notable, the list is topped with comments from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz—a recent and frequent target of ire for Republicans and the Trump administration—and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who leads in polling for the Democratic presidential nominee in 2028, often in close contention with former Vice President Kamala Harris.
The White House ended its post with a picture of the phrase, “I STAND WITH ICE,” echoing a refrain shared on Thursday by the White House on social media.
What People Are Saying
Conservative radio show host and author Howie Carr, on X: “Check this out from the White House. Do these statements constitute an “insurrection?” Did any of the comrades mention protesting “peacefully and patriotically?”
Trump, on Truth Social: “The woman driving the car was very disorderly, obstructing and resisting, who then violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer, who seems to have shot her in self-defense. Based on the attached clip, it is hard to believe he is alive, but is now recovering in the hospital. The situation is being studied, in its entirety, but the reason these incidents are happening is because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE Agents on a daily basis. They are just trying to do the job of MAKING AMERICA SAFE. We need to stand by and protect our Law Enforcement Officers from this Radical Left Movement of Violence and Hate!”
U.S. Representative Hank Johnson, a Georgia Democrat, on X: “Speaking of law enforcement, why weren’t you at the anniversary vigil Tuesday honoring the heroism of Capitol Police during the January 6th insurrection, and fallen patriot Brian Sicknick, who was killed protecting our democracy? And yes, your federal henchman was wrong for murdering a mother who was turning away from him, going 3 mph.”
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