Op-ed views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

The law enforcement veteran and InVest USA founder discusses the recent attack on an ICE Processing Center – and how ICE agents are being painted as enemies.

For the past few months, President Donald Trump – alongside his border czar Tom Homan and thousands of dedicated agents – has been pushing back against America’s ongoing illegal immigration problem. Thus far, thousands of criminals, including members of the Tren de Aragua gang, have been shipped back to their home countries. And the program is still ongoing, especially as it makes a move into the state of Illinois.

That said, it’s seeing some terrible pushback, namely from leaders like Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson, who still want you to believe that ICE is the enemy and that these dangerous immigrants are worth protecting – and using the tax dollars provided by U.S. citizens, nevertheless.

A recent situation shows just how dangerous their pushback is becoming. A couple of days ago, over a hundred rioters arrived at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Processing Center in Broadview. They arrived in vans, showing that this was coordinated in advance.

Like previous rioters before them, these folks pushed for absolute disorder. They fought back against ICE agents, threw tear gas canisters, slashed car tires, and blocked anyone from getting into the building.

That sounds bad enough. However, local police officers were powerless to do anything against them. I’m serious.

Pritzker had previously put a sanctuary jurisdiction in place, one that protects immigrants from being arrested. Mayor Johnson had also put in an order preventing police from helping ICE carry out any sort of actions against immigrants as well.

To which, I wonder – why are these immigrants being protected? Why are Pritzker and Johnson so hellbent on stopping Trump from making any progress in their state, the same way he had done with Washington, D.C., weeks prior? Are they that concerned about looking like they don’t know how to do their job? Because it still shows.

Hang on, though, it gets even worse. It appears that these parties have successfully manipulated media sites into believing that, yes, ICE is the enemy. NBC News, for example, noted how agents used tear gas on the protestors, but failed to show that it was in retaliation for their own violent actions.

As if that isn’t enough, Pritzker hasn’t held back on his own personal thoughts on ICE agents, even going as far as to say that the United States is “essentially” becoming Nazi Germany. For that matter, Johnson also labeled ICE agents as “secret police” who are doing nothing more than “terrorizing our communities.”

Are you serious? A state governor and a dedicated mayor are making statements like that when it’s their own restrictive actions that are causing the chaos, not the hard-working agents that are trying to keep the peace within their region?

The truth of the matter is that, because of false reports like this and the media painting them as foes, ICE enforcement officers are seeing major backlash. In fact, this report reveals that they’ve seen a 1000 percent increase in assaults against them. That’s insane.

Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin recently spoke about their actions, and, boy, did she nail it on the head.

“The violent targeting of law enforcement in Illinois by lawless rioters is despicable, and Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson must call for it to end. The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line to protect the people of Illinois and all Americans,” she noted. 

“Make no mistake, Democrat politicians like Hakeem Jeffries, Mayor Wu of Boston, Tim Walz, and Mayor Bass of Los Angeles are contributing to the surge in assaults on our ICE officers through their repeated dehumanizing and demonization of ICE. From comparisons to the modern-day Nazi Gestapo to glorifying rioters, the violent rhetoric of these sanctuary politicians is going to get law enforcement killed. This violence against ICE must end.”

Why these folks would rather side with violent immigrants than the citizens they’re sworn to protect is beyond me. All I can hope is that, eventually, they’ll understand the mistakes they’re making and they’ll allow Illinois police to do the job they were sworn to do.

And, for that matter, letting ICE proceed. These so-called “secret police” recently carried out the Midway Blitz Operation, which resulted in the arrest of hundreds of criminal illegal aliens, including various Tren de Aragua gang members who have committed assault, murder, and more.

But, hey, they’re the problem, right?

Wake up, Pritzker and Johnson. The problem lies within the finger-pointing, not the enforcement.

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Michael Letts

Michael A. Letts, Founder, President, and CEO of In-Vest USA, a national grassroots non-profit organization that is helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bullet-proof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs.

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