White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt used a shooting at a Border Patrol building to demand that Democrats “tone down their rhetoric” toward members of that agency and Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
At a press briefing Monday, a reporter teed up that response from Leavitt after he mentioned that the shooting “comes just days after Democratic congresswoman Pramila Jayapal recently said she gets ‘inspired when activists obstruct ICE.’”
“Does the White House expect Democrats to tone down their rhetoric in light of what we saw today in McAllen, Texas?” the reporter asked.
Leavitt, predictably, said it indeed does.
“We certainly call on Democrats to tone down their rhetoric against ICE and Border Patrol agents who, again, are everyday men and women,” she said.
“I would encourage AOC and other Democrats to actually meet with the United States Border Patrol,” she continued, even though neither Jayapal nor Ocasio-Cortez called for violence toward the agency, let alone a shooting.
“These are honorable Americans who are just simply trying to do their job to enforce the law. They go home to their families every night, just like we all do, and they deserve respect and dignity for trying to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and to remove public safety threats from our communities.”
Authorities said the man who reportedly opened fire on the Border Patrol building, 27-year-old Ryan Louis Mosqueda, was shot dead by federal officers after he had fired “many dozens” of rounds with an assault rifle. Mosqueda did not enter the building.
A border patrol employee and two officers were injured in the shooting, according to authorities. One of the officers, Ismael Garcia, sought medical attention after being hit in the knee by either a bullet or shrapnel.
The motive for the shooting the remains unclear. McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said there were other weapons and ammunition in the suspect’s car, which had Michigan plates and indecipherable spray paint on it.
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