‘Masked hoodlums’: Congressman says people rightly feel justified in shooting ICE ‘goons’
Democratic New York Rep. Jerry Nadler claimed Tuesday that United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were “goons” that people were “justified” to shoot during a rant at a hearing.
ICE has come under fire following the January fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in incidents involving so-called “rapid response” groups attempting to impede immigration enforcement operations. Nadler claimed during a House Judiciary Committee markup of legislation to prohibit biological men from competing in women’s sports and of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution that “fascism in our streets” was the “major problem” facing the United States.
“But what is really the major problem in this country today is the fascism in our streets,” Nadler said. “The attacks on American citizens by masked hoodlums. If you were attacked by a masked person, you might think you were being kidnapped, you’d be justified in shooting the person to protect yourself, but we see people being shot for what? For driving a car.”
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“We see people, we see the ICE goons break into people’s homes without a warrant,” Nadler continued. “We see them drag out a man, an American citizen, in his underwear… without even permitting him to get dressed. This is the major problem we have today.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The cell phone video taken by the ICE agent who fired the fatal shots at Good on Jan. 7 apparently shows her appearing to ignore commands from other ICE agents before backing up her car, looking right at the agent and accelerating towards him after her girlfriend appeared to shout, “Drive, baby, drive!”
Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota labeled ICE “Trump’s modern-day Gestapo” during a May 17 commencement address at the University of Minnesota, while Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas compared the agency to “slave patrols” during a Sept. 12 appearance on “The Breakfast Club.” In January, a TikTok user called for people to kill ICE agents.
Border czar Tom Homan told reporters during a May 2025 press gaggle that assaults on ICE agents are increasing and that the “doxxing” of agents reached “an all-time high.” Attacks on ICE agents have skyrocketed by 1,300%, according to a Jan. 8 release by the Department of Homeland Security, with vehicular assaults up 3,200% and death threats targeting agents rising by 8,000%.
Incidents of resistance to ICE enforcement operations have, on occasion, involved acts of violence. For example, agents have been fired upon in Illinois and California, while ICE personnel were reportedly attacked by individuals using vehicles in ten separate incidents between Jan. 4 and Jan. 10, according to Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Public Affairs, Tricia McLaughlin.
On Sept. 26, the Department of Homeland Security posted on X regarding multiple violent attacks at an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois. In Portland, Oregon, reports indicate that violent protesters attacked conservative journalists covering local riots and intended to use lasers against aircraft operated by federal law enforcement agencies.
Additionally, two individuals lost their lives during a shooting at an ICE office in Dallas on Sept.24, after which the gunman committed suicide. In Texas, at least two prior incidents occurred in July where gunshots were directed at ICE or Border Patrol facilities.
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