The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a stern admonition to "sanctuary politicians," urging them to moderate their rhetoric against U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. This call to action follows the appearance of a controversial Halloween display in Houston, Texas, which graphically depicts the hanging of ICE agents.
Situated in Houston's predominantly Hispanic Second Ward, the display features several mannequins. Two of these figures, clad in red hats, black shirts, khaki pants, and black masks, are shown hanging from nooses on wooden gallows, which are topped with a Mexican flag.
The scene, captured on video, has sparked significant concern. According to Fox News, the DHS described the display as a "mock execution ground," complete with coffins, barbed wire, and effigies of ICE agents adorned in black shirts and red hats, hanging from makeshift gallows with zip ties in their pockets.
The DHS has expressed alarm over the escalating hostility towards federal law enforcement officers, particularly in light of recent domestic attacks. "Following a weekend of domestic terrorists attacking federal law enforcement officers, the Department of Homeland Security is calling for sanctuary politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement law enforcement," the DHS stated.
The department highlighted a staggering "more than 1000% increase in assaults" against ICE officers, with their families facing online threats and doxxing.
In addition to condemning the display, the DHS has also denounced threats directed at the families of ICE agents. One such incident involved a Facebook message sent to an agent's spouse by Robert Buckley of Lakeville, Massachusetts, which read: "Your husband, the ICE man is a f--- and retribution will come your way eventually."
Another case in Texas involved an ICE officer's spouse receiving a menacing phone call, which included the chilling remark, "Did you hear what happened to the Nazis after World War II? Because its whats going to happen to your family."
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin has voiced strong disapproval of these threats, labeling them as "disgusting." She emphasized the critical role ICE officers play in maintaining public safety, stating, "These officers risk their lives every day to arrest murderers, pedophiles, rapists, terrorists, and gang members from our communities."
McLaughlin also criticized the comparisons of ICE to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols, warning of the dangerous consequences of such rhetoric.
Highlighting the personal sacrifices made by ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, McLaughlin remarked, "The men and women of ICE and CBP are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters.
They get up every morning to try and make our communities safer. Like everyone else, they just want to go home to their families at night." She concluded with a plea for an end to the violence and dehumanization faced by these law enforcement officers, who are simply fulfilling their duty to enforce the law.
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