On September 24, 2025, 29-year-old Joshua Jahn climbed onto a rooftop in Dallas, Texas, and opened fire on an ICE field office transport van. Two immigration detainees were killed, a third critically wounded, and Jahn later turned the gun on himself. Authorities recovered shell casings engraved with the words “ANTI-ICE.” Federal officials, including the FBI and DHS, are now investigating the incident as an act of domestic terrorism motivated by anti-law enforcement sentiment.
This was not an isolated incident. It marks the fourth attack on ICE facilities in Texas this year alone. According to DHS, assaults against law enforcement have surged by over 1,000% in 2025. We cannot look at these numbers and ignore the clear trend: rhetoric has consequences, and violent rhetoric is being turned into violent action.
Words That Fuel Fire
In recent years, leading Democratic voices—Jasmine Crockett, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gavin Newsom, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and others—have routinely described immigration enforcement and other branches of law enforcement with words like “fascist,” “Nazi,” “Gestapo,” “authoritarian,” and “secret police.” These are not throwaway insults. These words carry historical weight, conjuring images of brutal regimes that murdered millions.
When high-ranking politicians normalize this language, they do not just score political points. They dehumanize officers and institutions, painting them as enemies of democracy itself. Once law enforcement is cast as “Nazis,” violence against them becomes, in some minds, not just justified but heroic.
This is not theoretical. A 2023 peer-reviewed study in the Journal of Public Safety found that inflammatory rhetoric aimed at law enforcement correlates with a 15% increase in targeted violence. Jahn’s actions—engraving “ANTI-ICE” on bullets—were a chilling, literal inscription of words turned into weapons.
A Crisis of Rhetoric Leading to a Crisis of Violence
This is part of a broader, deeply troubling pattern. Earlier this month, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, another example of political violence tearing through our public square. America is entering a dangerous moment where inflammatory words from political leaders translate directly into radicalization and murder.
Let us be absolutely clear: criticizing immigration policy is fair game. Opposing deportations, arguing for reform, demanding oversight—all of this belongs in healthy democratic debate. But when debate turns into dehumanization, when ICE officers are branded “Nazis” and “Gestapo,” that is not democracy at work. That is a reckless incitement to violence.
A Plea to Democratic Leaders
So today, I call directly on Jasmine Crockett, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Gavin Newsom, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and others who hold influence: stop. Stop using Nazi analogies. Stop calling law enforcement “fascist.” Stop weaponizing rhetoric that history teaches us leads to bloodshed.
This is not about silencing dissent. It is about protecting human life. The men and women who serve in law enforcement—whatever one thinks of ICE as an institution—are fathers, mothers, sons, daughters. They should not have to fear that political rhetoric will inspire someone to pick up a gun and engrave a bullet with their name on it.
The Responsibility of Leadership
Every leader knows words matter. They shape culture, they influence perception, and they inspire action. At this moment, when violence is escalating across America, responsibility must outweigh rhetoric.
We cannot afford another Dallas. We cannot afford to wait for the next shooter. We cannot afford to let political leaders normalize language that makes violence inevitable.
It is time for Democrats—and for all of us—to stop pouring gasoline on the fire.
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