Republican senator proposes to raise penalties for attacking ICE officers
Seems reasonable to me:
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., on Thursday announced that he would introduce a bill to raise the maximum penalties for attacking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel amid an uptick in violent opposition to mass deportations.
“The punishment for attacking an ICE agent should be swift and devastating,” he said.
”
I’m introducing a bill to double the maximum federal penalty.Left-wing radicals want to use violence to advance their political agenda. We can’t let them win.
It’s interesting that the Democrats have cast their lot with those who demonize ICE officials, setting them up for attack. Do they think most Americans are sympathetic to the Democrats’ stance? I doubt it, because polls have consistently shown the majority of Americans – and substantial majorities at that – are in favor of deportations. So my guess is that Senator Schmitt’s proposal would be popular with the public, too.
And yet I doubt a single Democrat (with the possible exception of Fetterman) would vote in favor of it. Apparently, Democrats still think that keeping illegal aliens in this country, and even attracting more of them, is important for Democrat victory, or Democrat unity, or even for Democrats to keep the population counts up in their own districts. They are also hoping that at some point the public will turn on ICE, perhaps as they expand their deportations to affect people who are seen as more sympathetic than the current crop.
Meanwhile, the left-wing media – at least, some of it – tries to ignore the leftist attacks on ICE agents:
If you hadn’t heard about [the attacks on ICE] yet, you might just be a CNN or MSNBC viewer; neither network has devoted a single minute of airtime to covering the attack, though CNN managed to devote a sentence to it in an online story about another attack on immigration authorities.
Should that not strike you as unusual, imagine this scenario: 11 members of a right-wing militia group open fire on an FBI field office on a major holiday, and a responding police officer is shot in the neck.
You think that would have a cold chance in hell of escaping the attention of the likes of Joe Scarborough, Wolf Blitzer, Jen Psaki, Brian Stelter, Lawrence O’Donnell, and Dana Bash?
This glaring omission is particularly notable given the two news organizations’ relentlessly critical coverage of ICE and persistent warnings about right-wing extremism and violence.
That’s an opinion article at Mediaite, which is a generally left-wing site. If you go to the comments there you’ll see the vast majority criticize the ICE agents. One line of criticism is that these aren’t actually ICE agents, but rather imposters wearing masks. Another is, for example, “Looks to me like people were using their 2nd amendment rights to fight against a repressive government.”

@ the anti-Ice criticizers > “Looks to me like people were using their 2nd amendment rights to fight against a repressive government.”
“Your terms are acceptable.”
Do we really need more laws?
Reduce the rules of engagement and start shooting them where they stand or running over them when they block traffic.
“Swift and devastating” in my book is a trip to meet the ME.
I applaud a government that hammers the evil-worshippers that assault federal personnel. I believe it is already felonious, but am fine with doubling the penalty.
How often is the maximum sentence applied in crimes other than capital murder?
Ever?
Seems like theater to me. If they wanted to make an impact, they’d be lobbying to increase the *minimum* penalties, not the ones that are almost never implemented.
Reminds me of when my kids were young. My ex-wife would get so pissed off because they actually listened to me and did what I said, but they basically ignored her.
She’d tell them to do the dishes, or clean their rooms, or take out the trash over and over again with increasing levels of volume, threaten to ground them, take away their favorite things, etc. and they’d pretend not to hear her, or act like they were going to do it, but never actually get it done.
Then I’d tell them “do what your mother told you to do”, didn’t yell, didn’t threaten, just told them to do it and they’d get up and do it.
She’d get furious and demand to know why they listened to me but not her.
She’d get even more furious when I explained it to her:
“They know, no matter how loud you get or how much you threaten, you’re not going to actually follow through on the threats so they can just ignore you and the worst thing that will happen is you’ll yell louder. They know I’m only going to tell them once and if they don’t do it, their lives will become very unpleasant.”
Yea, yea, I know: Raising your kids is different than dealing with adult criminals.
No, actually, it’s not all that different. Humans are human after all.
Are there ones who will commit the crimes anyway? Of course there are…and those are the ones you set an example with. Consequences should be prompt, severe, and long lasting…which will absolutely cause those less committed to the cause to have second thoughts about following suit.
There is a reason these types of things happen in New York and LA and Chicago and San Francisco and Seattle and not in Johnson City and Tulsa, and Jacksonville, and Rapid City and Provo. In the blue cities, even if they’re arrested…which they probably won’t be…they’ll likely face minimal if any consequences…even in federal courts in those areas. In the red cities, the citizenry would be against them (and much of that citizenry is armed), they’d absolutely be arrested after they get out of the hospital and would likely face serious consequences. So they throw their tantrums where it’s safe to do so.
See another judge wants to block where ICE can go. No to Home Depot and other places. No authority to do this, but they do it. Non-Chief Justice Roberts really need to do something because it is making the SC a laughingstock.
Also, a judge how has certified as a Class the children of illegals to stop deportation. I would repeat myself on roberts but who listens
Round up the little insurrectionists and put them in a POW camp. Hold them until the insurrection ends and then adjudicate at leisure.
@ Sailorcurt > “Raising your kids is different than dealing with adult criminals.”
Behind every criminal is a kid who was not raised correctly, and you are exactly right on the method.
We never imposed “cruel and unusual punishments” on our boys (and those that do are abusers), but consequences were clear and applied as needed.
AesopFan:
Some criminals are kids who were raised just fine and are psychopaths or sociopaths.
Sailorcurt is right for the majority of cases; neo for the others.
What it comes down to is that it really does not mater if a criminal was born bad or made that way by bad parenting/bad circumstances/bad luck.
If a person wants to live freely in society, that person must adhere to certain rules (such as not attacking LEOs who are doing their jobs correctly).
We waste too much time excusing bad deeds because someone had a rough childhood. Some people who do bad stuff may be fixable, some not, but they must all be separated from society until that can be figured out and put into practice.
Do the crime, do the time. So crazy it might work.
What good is an increased sentence? The arrests are few and far between, the prosecutions of those are rare, and imposition of any sentence is almost non-existent.
The throwing of rocks and frozen water bottles (liquid water is just as heavy) at officers is an assault with means likely to cause great bodily injury or death. These are criteria to allow use of potential lethal force to stop the attack.
“Some criminals are kids who were raised just fine and are psychopaths or sociopaths.”
True.
And those are the ones who will do the crimes anyway…and also the ones who should be used as examples to the ones who are reachable.
oh that puts a different spin on things
https://nypost.com/2025/07/13/us-news/child-predator-among-more-than-300-arrested-during-ice-raid-on-cannabis-farm/
plain speaking goes a long way,
https://twitchy.com/amy-curtis/2025/07/13/tom-homan-if-you-have-a-kid-here-and-are-illegal-thats-on-you-n2415606