ANOTHER Democrat calls shooting ICE agents 'justified' — and Vance doesn't hold back

Democrats have worked overtime to demonize and delegitimize the men and women of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — those whom Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz branded as "Trump's modern-day Gestapo," Sen. Tina Smith (Minn.) called a "clear and present threat," Rep. Eric Swalwell (Calif.) dubbed "terrorizing bandits," and Democrat anchor-baby Rep. Delia Ramirez (Ill.) called a "terror force."

In addition to Rep. Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, and other Democrats threatening lawfare against ICE officers, some radical officials have turned up the heat by suggesting that it may be reasonable to shoot masked federal immigration agents.

'He is openly calling for people to shoot federal law enforcement.'

Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) claimed this week that it would be "justified" to shoot those he characterized as "masked hoodlums."

"What is really the major problem in this country today is the fascism in our streets, the attacks on American citizens by masked hoodlums," said Nadler, going off-topic during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday. "If you were attacked by a masked person, you might think you were being kidnapped. You'd be justified in shooting the person to protect yourself."

"We see people being shot, for what? For driving a car?" he added, possibly referring to Renee Good, an anti-ICE radical who was fatally shot while driving her SUV into an ICE agent. "We see the ICE goons break into people's homes without a warrant."

Vice President JD Vance was among the many critics who blasted Nadler over his incendiary remarks, noting, "Jerry Nadler is one of the highest ranking Democrats in the House of Representatives and he is openly calling for people to shoot federal law enforcement."

"This is despicable behavior from an elected official and I'm sure the leftwing media will cover it extensively," added Vance.

RELATED: 'He is no victim': Sister of man shot by Border Patrol in Arizona tells anti-ICE protesters to stop defending him

Photo by Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images

Stephen Coughlin, an American lawyer and former Joint Chiefs of Staff intelligence analyst, wrote that from a "Counter-State POV, could this be considered 'open communications', sanctioning targeted violence against federal officers when conducting their statutory mission? It should be taken as a given that when the far left (Marxist) designates a group as 'fascist,' it is the same as putting them on a target list."

Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton noted, "The Left is murderous."

According to the Department of Homeland Security, ICE agents faced 68 vehicular attacks, representing a 3,300% increase in such attacks against ICE law enforcement. During the same stretch, Customs and Border Patrol officers faced 114 vehicular attacks.

"Sanctuary politicians with their rhetoric comparing ICE to the Nazi Gestapo, slave patrols, and the secret police and encouraging illegal aliens to evade arrest have incited violence against law enforcement," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement on Tuesday.

"We have seen more than 180 vehicle attacks against law enforcement since President Trump took office," continued McLaughlin. "In addition to these vehicle attacks, our officers are also facing a more than 1,300% increase in assaults against them and an 8,000% increase in death threats as they risk their lives to arrest murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists."

In an attempt at damage control Tuesday evening, Nadler claimed that he was "not calling on citizens to shoot ICE" but rather "calling on ICE to stop shooting citizens."

'It's kind of a recipe for disaster.'

"ICE is a rogue agency hellbent on terrorizing our neighbors and instilling fear in immigrant communities," Nadler continued in his non-apology. "They should stop wearing masks, put on a uniform, and start wearing body cameras. Get a judicial warrant, too."

Nadler's rationalization of shooting ICE agents greatly resembles that provided by Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) in her interview last month with KPNX-TV's Brahm Resnik.

After alleging that ICE officers are engaged in "thuggish, brutish behavior" and claiming that "real cops don't wear masks," Mayes told Resnik with a smile both that Arizona is a "stand-your-ground state" and that "we also have a lot of guns in Arizona."

"You know, it's kind of a recipe for disaster, because you have these masked federal officers with very little identification, sometimes no identification, wearing plain clothes and masks, and we have a stand-your-ground law that says that if you reasonably believe that your life is in danger and you are in your house or your car or on your property that you can defend yourself with lethal force."

Despite the interviewer providing Mayes with ample opportunity to clarify her meaning, the Democrat proceeded to give what appeared to be a retroactive excuse for would-be killers, stating, "How do you know they're a peace officer?"

"If there's a situation where somebody pulls out their gun because they know Arizona is a stand-your-ground state, then it becomes 'did they reasonably know that they were a peace officer?'" said Arizona's top law enforcement officer.

When Resnik once more pressed her for clarification that she was not "telling folks you have license if you are threatened," Mayes said, "Well," and smirked.

"No," she continued, "but again, if you're being attacked by someone who is not identified as a peace officer, how do you know?"

Like Nadler, Mayes faced widespread criticism for her comments. Republican Arizona Rep. David Schweikert, for instance, characterized them as "freelancing a scenario where bullets start flying and then shrugging it off as 'just the law.'"