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For years, Democrats have vilified Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as if it were an enemy force, not a U.S. law enforcement agency. They have compared ICE to Nazis, Gestapo agents, and even the Ku Klux Klan. They have called to abolish it, defund it, and delegitimize it in every possible way.

This constant demonization has consequences. It has fueled hatred against ICE agents and facilities. And in recent years, those words have crossed into real-world violence — with ICE offices attacked, vehicles firebombed, ambushes carried out, and just today, an ICE facility in Dallas targeted in a deadly shooting.

This article compiles the rhetoric, the quotes, and the attacks to show how words have translated into action.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Birth of “Abolish ICE”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rose to national fame on a promise to “Abolish ICE.” She accused the agency of “human rights abuses” and treated its existence as illegitimate. Her campaign rhetoric was not just a fringe idea — it launched a nationwide movement to erase ICE entirely.

The Squad’s Ongoing Hostility

Ilhan Omar: Called ICE a “rogue agency” that violates human rights.
Ayanna Pressley: Claimed ICE was designed to “tear families apart.”
Rashida Tlaib: Labeled ICE agents racist and accused the agency of being a weapon of oppression.

All three consistently fueled the “abolish and defund” narrative that portrays ICE officers as enemies of the people.

Kamala Harris and the KKK Comparison

Before she became Vice President, Kamala Harris infamously compared ICE to the Ku Klux Klan in a 2018 Senate hearing. She claimed ICE used fear and intimidation just like racial terror groups, placing federal officers in the same moral category as white supremacists.

Jeffries, Booker, and Schumer: Nazi and Gestapo Comparisons

Hakeem Jeffries: Said ICE had become a “Gestapo-type organization” (2018 congressional session).
Cory Booker: Compared ICE raids to “Nazi” tactics, accusing them of “ripping families apart the way Nazis did” (2018–2019).
Chuck Schumer: Accused ICE of “Nazi-style roundups” in 2018, calling their enforcement “a disgrace.”

When congressional leaders openly equate ICE with Nazis, it should come as no surprise that activists take those words literally.

Other Democrats Join the Chorus

Elizabeth Warren: Called ICE a “rogue agency” that should be “replaced.”
Kirsten Gillibrand: Said ICE was nothing more than a “deportation force.”
Yvette Clarke (NY): Called ICE “the Gestapo of the United States” in House floor remarks.
Jim McGovern (MA): Claimed ICE enforcement tactics were “Nazi-like.”
Gavin Newsom: Branded ICE enforcement “Gestapo tactics” during his 2018 gubernatorial campaign and pledged California would not cooperate.
Rep. John Larson (CT): In August 2025, shouted at a public event: “This is not Germany. That’s the SS and the Gestapo. This is the United States of America.” (Fox News).

The message from Congress to governors’ mansions has been consistent: ICE is not legitimate, it is evil.

Documented Attacks on ICE Facilities & Personnel

The rhetoric has not stayed in speeches. It has bled into action:

2018: Antifa-linked activists attacked ICE facilities in Portland, vandalizing and threatening staff.
July 13, 2019 – Tacoma, WA: Armed attacker Willem van Spronsen firebombed the Northwest Detention Center, attempted to ignite propane tanks, and left behind a manifesto describing ICE detention centers as “concentration camps.” He was killed by police. (Wikipedia)
2019: Protesters stormed ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C., attempting to blockade the facility.
2020–2023: Multiple ICE vehicles vandalized or firebombed, with attackers citing Democrat talking points about ICE being “Nazis” or “fascists.”
July 4, 2025 – Alvarado, TX: Armed group ambushed the Prairieland ICE Detention Facility, using fireworks as a diversion before firing AR-style rifles at officers. One police officer was shot and ten attackers were charged with attempted murder. (Wikipedia)
September 24, 2025 – Dallas, TX: A sniper opened fire from a rooftop onto an ICE field office, striking detainees inside a van in the facility’s sallyport. Two were killed, one critically injured. The shooter died of a self-inflicted wound. Investigators recovered shell casings engraved with “ANTI-ICE.” DHS confirmed the incident was a targeted attack. (AP News, Reuters, DHS, Politico)

These are not coincidences. They are the predictable results of years of demonization.

Connecting Words to Violence

While correlation doesn’t always equal causation, these facts are impossible to ignore:

Top Democrats and public figures have repeatedly likened ICE officers to Nazis, Gestapo forces, and the KKK.
These comparisons shift ICE from being an agency enforcing immigration law to a supposed existential evil.
Over the past years, ICE facilities have been vandalized, firebombed, ambushed, and now shot at — with the Dallas shooter even engraving “ANTI-ICE” onto his ammunition.

The leap from rhetoric to violence is not theoretical anymore. It has already happened.

The Double Standard on Political Violence

Democrats are quick to blame Republicans for “dangerous rhetoric” whenever tragedy strikes. Yet when it comes to their own words about ICE, they refuse to accept responsibility. The nonstop comparisons to Nazis and Gestapo have created a climate where violence is seen as justified “resistance.”

Conclusion

The war on ICE is not about policy differences. It is about a deliberate campaign to delegitimize, demonize, and destroy a federal law enforcement agency. From Ocasio-Cortez’s “Abolish ICE” movement to Jeffries, Booker, Schumer, Harris, and Newsom comparing ICE to Nazis, the message has been repeated loudly and often.

And now the consequences are playing out in real time. ICE facilities have been vandalized, firebombed, and shot at. Officers have been targeted and vilified. Words have become violence. The record is undeniable: Democrats’ reckless rhetoric about ICE has fueled real-world attacks, and the blood is on their hands.