Law and Order Is Not Optional

What This Controversy Is Really About

The flurry of controversy around the ICE shooting of Renee Good is not really about whether the officer has a legal case for self-defense or anything else particular to the shooting. It is about groups who oppose law enforcement, American laws, and, frankly, America, desperately grasping for a single videotaped instance of law enforcement impropriety. It is hand in glove with their broader anti-cop playbook. They want to sensationalize videos of law enforcement and use them to justify nationwide attacks on ICE and further obstruction of justice.

Feigning Concern to Mask an Agenda

Anti-ICE media outlets, commentators, and politicians are hiding their agenda under the auspices of mere concern for the self-defense laws and law enforcement protocol. They parade around on television, feigning support for law enforcement, debating whether the ICE agent hit by an automobile had a right to defend himself or whether he reasonably feared for his life. Under both federal use-of-force policy and longstanding self-defense doctrine, a vehicle used against an officer constitutes deadly force. It is more than reasonable for one to fear for their safety when hit by an oncoming vehicle.

A Failed Argument and a Fast Pivot

The anti-ICE crowd quickly realized this line of attack wouldn’t work politically. So, they pivoted. Now, they complain the officer shouldn’t have been near the front of the vehicle—some even implying it was his fault he was hit by a car.

Blame the Assailant, Not the Officer

That is ridiculous. The fault lies with the assailant. You cannot attack law enforcement, whether you use a gun, a bat, a fist, or a car.

Undermining Law Enforcement by Design

But, once again, all the ire and fury are not about the specifics of the shooting. It is about conjuring enough opposition to ICE to veto the federal government.

The media and politicians are using intimidation tactics to deter law enforcement. They have abdicated their duty to support law enforcement, instead opting to create fear that any officer doing their job could be next. They want to make an example out of this ICE agent so all other agents bend the knee.

When Law Enforcement Is Left Exposed

On the third night of protests, a group broke into a hotel in Minneapolis. One CNN host lamented that it took police more than half an hour to arrive on the scene for the protests. The host expressed shock about when law enforcement does and does not choose to act.

But why should it be shocking? When America fails to empower law enforcement, it prevents them from doing their duty. This means officers no longer have the necessary support to enforce the law. It should be no surprise that they are subsequently reluctant to act.

Leadership Matters

To summarize it most concretely, when the mayor of Minneapolis, Jacob Frey, makes fun of law enforcement being hit by cars, saying it’s just like “closing a fridge door” with your hip, law enforcement is not safe.

The Numbers Tell the Story

Reports now reveal just how dangerous things have become. According to the Department of Homeland Security, there has been a 1,300% increase in assaults against ICE officers and an 8,000% increase in death threats. These numbers will undoubtedly increase after all the recent hysteria.

What Must Be Done

It is now the job of the Trump administration to squash these terror tactics. Not just comments on Truth Social. Not brazen responses to the press. Forceful, unabashed, powerful crackdown on all attempts to thwart law and order. Anything less will not be enough.

Strength in Numbers

To do this, they need to rapidly increase the number of ICE officers. The mobs of people disrupting and blocking deportation efforts over the past year have proven taxing on ICE agents. It has required them to travel in larger packs. On a grand scale, this translates to fewer raids overall. To counter this, there needs to be an abundant supply of officers in order to accompany the ever-growing interference.

Trump has sought to double ICE manpower over the past year. He has increased the total personnel size from 10,000 to 22,000. This is a start, but it must keep growing until they are capable of enforcing the law without interference lest ICE be further blocked by lawless mobs in the streets.

The Bottom Line

The law must be enforced.

There is either law and order, or there isn’t. There is no in between.