President Donald Trump denounced “THUGS” and “SLIMEBALLS” who have been protesting ICE in a Friday night Truth Social post, authorizing further arrests of protestors ”using any means necessary.”
On his way back from Texas, where he witnessed the devastation caused by last week’s floods firsthand, Trump took to his social media platform to complain about protestors who are attempting to prevent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents from carrying out raids, largely in California.
The president wrote, “I am on my way back from Texas, and watched in disbelief as THUGS were violently throwing rocks and bricks at ICE Officers while they were moving down a roadway in their car and/or official vehicle. Tremendous damage was done to these brand-new vehicles. I know for a fact that these Officers are having a hard time with allowing this to happen in that it shows such total disrespect for LAW AND ORDER.”
He continued, ”Therefore, I am directing Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, and Border Czar, Tom Homan, to instruct all ICE, Homeland Security, or any other Law Enforcement Officer who is on the receiving end of thrown rocks, bricks, or any other form of assault, to stop their car, and arrest these SLIMEBALLS, using whatever means is necessary to do so.”
”I am giving Total Authorization for ICE to protect itself, just like they protect the Public. I never want to see a car carrying a Law Enforcement Officer attacked again! AUTHORIZATION IMMEDIATELY GRANTED FOR ARREST AND INCARCERATION. Thank you for your attention to this matter!,” he finished.
ICE agents carrying out sweeps at two cannabis farms in California on Thursday arrested around 200 workers suspected of being undocumented immigrants, leading to a confrontation between authorities and protestors.
As protestors threw rocks at ICE vehicles, agents used less-than-lethal ammunition on the crowd. In response to the protests, U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli tweeted, ”Federal agents are executing a search warrant at this marijuana farm. Agents have already arrested multiple individuals for impeding this operation and will continue to make arrests. Don’t interfere. You will be arrested and charged with a federal offense.”
Shortly before Trump’s Truth Social post, Fox News host Laura Ingraham responded to footage of protestors throwing rocks by declaring, “They gotta pull these guys over, throw these guys down on the ground and arrest them.”
Gregory Bovino, a U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief for El Centro, later appeared on the program, assuring Ingraham that authorities had already made “dozens of arrests,” most of which were for assault of impeding federal officers, and that they would continue to do so.
”In the end, something bad is going to happen, and that’s not what we want in law enforcement—we operate legally, ethically and morally—but we are going to arrest people who assault border patrol agents,” Bovino said.
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the Daily Beast, “For weeks, we’ve seen violent leftists assault heroic ICE agents. They’ve thrown rocks at their vehicles, tried to violently obstruct enforcement operations, and yesterday someone even shot at them. ICE agents are facing a 700% increase in assaults because of smears and lies from Democrats. This violence must end.”
One participant in last month’s protests against ICE in Los Angeles who was charged with assaulting a federal officer told The Guardian that he was brutally attacked by law enforcement.
Lifting his shirt to show the reporter his bruises, Jose Manual Mojica said, “We are not the violent ones. They escalated it. They are chasing down innocent people.”
”There was a different way to handle the situation than to beat me.”
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