Democrat leaders' rhetoric against federal immigration agents is contributing to the protests and violence in the nation's cities, including the demonstrations Thursday morning in Minneapolis after an ICE agent shot and killed a local woman, Rep. Brandon Gill told Newsmax.
"It's not just rhetoric coming from influencers or newscasters on the left," the Texas Republican told Newsmax's "National Report." "It's coming from the Democrat Party's elected officials, which I think is the most disappointing."
State and local officials have called for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to leave the state after 37-year-old Renee Nicole Macklin Good was shot in the head on Wednesday, but Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said agents would continue their operations there.
"We have hearings where we have Democrats, members of Congress, referring to ICE agents as members of the Gestapo, referring to them as Nazis," Gill said.
"Whenever you call somebody a Nazi, whenever you label them with what is widely considered really the most heinous accusation, this is the result," he added.
"You have people who believe that they are somehow righteous in attacking or intimidating ICE agents who are carrying out lawful orders, who are carrying out the law that the American people voted for, particularly last November."
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday, using profanity, called for ICE to leave his city, and Gill said that language send the message that "domestic immigration enforcement is somehow illegitimate or somehow morally wrong, and that is leading to this type of violence."
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is restoring the rule of law after four years of the Biden administration's actions, said Gill.
"The American people resoundingly rejected open borders," he said. "They wanted President Trump to come in to secure the border, which he did, and deport illegal aliens, which he's doing, and the left doesn't like that."
Gill also discussed Wednesday’s House Oversight hearing on alleged fraud at child care centers serving Minnesota’s Somali community and said what he heard reinforced his belief that Minneapolis officials knew wrongdoing was occurring.
"This was a massive fraud scandal where Democrats not only looked the other way, but in many cases encouraged this fraud," he said, accusing the left of allowing the fraud to continue in exchange for political support from the Somali community.
"You see Democrats defending this because they know that it benefits them politically, no matter what the cost is," said Gill.
The congressman added that the committee wants Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to appear soon to testify.
"He's got a lot to answer for," he said. "It was his administration that was intimidating whistleblowers.
"It was his administration that was covering up this fraud again, because he knew it would benefit him and his party politically," Gill said. "That's what we found, and he needs to answer for it."
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