President Donald Trump is leading Republicans in demanding that respect be paid to the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Border Patrol, after months of the agencies being used to terrorize, detain, and even kill innocent people.
The demand was set off after Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized Republicans on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday for pushing to increase funding for the agencies despite widespread public outrage over their comments.
“Americans will see even more clearly tonight where the Republicans are—not on the side of lowering costs but on the side of masked agents,” Schumer said. “Where the heck are you? America is crying out for relief from high costs and you’re here adding $140 billion dollars to an agency that nobody—to two groups, Border Patrol and ICE—that nobody respects in this country.”
A day later Trump fumed on his Truth Social that Schumer had made “one of the most egregious, incorrect, unpatriotic, and dangerous statements I have EVER heard from a ‘professional’ politician.” In all caps he added, “HE MUST IMMEDIATELY APOLOGIZE TO THESE GREAT PATRIOTS, AND I MEAN NOW!”
Recently installed Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin complained about Schumer to the administration’s allies at Fox News, telling the network it makes “my ears red.” He added, “It takes a lot to get me upset, but, Chuck Schumer, no one respects you. The definition of a lying scumbag politician: That is you.”
Schumer’s comments were excerpted by Senate Republicans and spun as an attack on law enforcement. In a tweet they wrote, “Democrats’ hatred towards law enforcement is disgusting.”
Schumer specifically spoke about the agencies carrying out Trump’s unpopular immigration agenda and not law enforcement in general, a group that Republicans have repeatedly insulted by minimizing incidents like the attacks on Capitol Police during the Jan. 6 insurrection.