{"id":2446505,"date":"2025-06-12T13:23:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T17:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-embrace-thugs-smear-to-attack-ice-agents\/"},"modified":"2025-06-12T13:24:19","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T17:24:19","slug":"democrats-embrace-thugs-smear-to-attack-ice-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-embrace-thugs-smear-to-attack-ice-agents\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats Embrace &#8216;Thugs&#8217; Smear To Attack ICE Agents"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-embrace-thugs-smear-to-attack-ice-agents%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2446505&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article discusses a controversial statement made by Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) who likened Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to the gestapo, calling them &#8220;thugs&#8221; during a House committee hearing. The piece critiques Lynch for using such incendiary language, especially considering the backlash Democrats faced when former President Trump used the term &#8220;thugs&#8221; to describe aggressive Black Lives Matter (BLM) protesters in 2020. The author, Shawn Fleetwood, argues that this double standard illustrates a broader hypocrisy among Democrats regarding their rhetoric about law enforcement. The article also notes that Lynch&#8217;s comments have drawn parallels to past instances where elected Democrats have criticized law enforcement, suggesting a pattern of dismissing those who enforce immigration laws. The piece ultimately asserts that democrats&#8217; naming conventions reveal an inconsistency in their approach to labeling individuals based on political motivations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oxSElO9HjTI\">NewsNation\/YouTube<\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/06\/12\/after-chastising-trump-for-calling-blm-rioters-thugs-democrats-embrace-the-term-to-smear-ice-agents\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=After%20Chastising%20Trump%20For%20Calling%20BLM%20Rioters%20%E2%80%98Thugs,%E2%80%99%20Democrats%20Embrace%20The%20Term%20To%20Smear%20ICE%20Agents&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/06\/12\/after-chastising-trump-for-calling-blm-rioters-thugs-democrats-embrace-the-term-to-smear-ice-agents\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=After%20Chastising%20Trump%20For%20Calling%20BLM%20Rioters%20%E2%80%98Thugs,%E2%80%99%20Democrats%20Embrace%20The%20Term%20To%20Smear%20ICE%20Agents&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/06\/12\/after-chastising-trump-for-calling-blm-rioters-thugs-democrats-embrace-the-term-to-smear-ice-agents\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/06\/12\/after-chastising-trump-for-calling-blm-rioters-thugs-democrats-embrace-the-term-to-smear-ice-agents\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=After%20Chastising%20Trump%20For%20Calling%20BLM%20Rioters%20%E2%80%98Thugs,%E2%80%99%20Democrats%20Embrace%20The%20Term%20To%20Smear%20ICE%20Agents&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2025\/06\/12\/after-chastising-trump-for-calling-blm-rioters-thugs-democrats-embrace-the-term-to-smear-ice-agents\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>If Democrats didn&rsquo;t have double standards, they&rsquo;d have no standards at all.<\/p>\n<p>Such was the case during a Thursday House committee hearing, in which Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., went out of his way to grossly compare Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >officers arresting illegal aliens<\/a> to the Gestapo &mdash; Nazi Germany&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-american-kleptocracy-a-government-of-liars-thieves-and-lawbreakers\/\" title=\"The American Kleptocracy: A Government of Liars, Thieves and Lawbreakers\">secret police force<\/a>. Grossly labeling these federal agents as &ldquo;thugs,&rdquo; the Massachusetts rep. claimed that the Trump administration has &ldquo;tried to sweep aside the fact that this pattern of mass deportation operation is letting dangerous criminals roam free, while it picks off peaceful contributing members of our community.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-237548816\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;When you compare the old films of the Gestapo grabbing people off the streets of Poland, and you compare them to those nondescript thugs &hellip; it does look like a Gestapo operation,&rdquo; Lynch <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RapidResponse47\/status\/1933169588281192599\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While smearing anyone who declines to accept their warped worldview and open borders agenda as Nazis <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/10\/30\/holocaust-survivors-condemn-harris-depiction-of-trump-as-next-hitler\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">isn&rsquo;t exactly a new tactic<\/a> among Democrats, Lynch&rsquo;s embrace of &ldquo;thugs&rdquo; is a curious one &mdash; especially given the complete meltdown leftists had when President Trump previously used the same term to describe Black Lives Matter rioters. <\/p>\n<p>During the destructive 2020 &ldquo;summer of love&rdquo; demonstrations, Trump, on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/trump-minneapolis-protesters-thugs-flagged-twitter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">several occasions<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/administration\/515414-trump-rips-black-lives-matter-protesters-in-pittsburgh-thugs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">characterized<\/a> violent and aggressive BLM agitators as &ldquo;thugs.&rdquo; In one September 2020 tweet referencing these demonstrators, the president <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/realDonaldTrump\/status\/1303371151792513024\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">wrote<\/a>, &ldquo;They are not &lsquo;peaceful protesters&rsquo;, as Sleepy Joe and the Democrats call them, they are THUGS &mdash; And it is all taking place in Democrat run cities. Call me and request Federal HELP. We will solve your problems in a matter of minutes &mdash; And thanks to the U.S. Marshalls in Portland!&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Like clockwork, leftists went ballistic. <\/p>\n<p>In late September 2020, NBC News&rsquo; Safia Samee Ali penned a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/not-accident-false-thug-narratives-have-long-been-used-discredit-n1240509\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">column<\/a> titled, &ldquo;&lsquo;Not by accident&rsquo;: False &lsquo;thug&rsquo; narratives have long been used to discredit civil rights movements.&rdquo; The so-called &ldquo;reporter&rdquo; cited predictably pro-BLM remarks from &ldquo;experts,&rdquo; who claimed the &ldquo;narrative of violence has been used to delegitimize racial protest movements throughout the nation&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/is-the-lefts-favorite-internet-historian-a-plagiarist\/\" title=\"Is the Left&#039;s Favorite Internet Historian a Plagiarist?\">civil rights history<\/a>.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>The Associated Press <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/virus-outbreak-police-donald-trump-ap-top-news-mn-state-wire-f62ed59014cbf43fc1da21e3fcbfe904\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">characterized<\/a> a late May 2020 tweet by Trump classifying BLM rioters as &ldquo;thugs&rdquo; as &ldquo;incendiary.&rdquo; In the post, the president warned that &ldquo;when the looting starts, the shooting starts.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<p>That post also generated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/politics-news\/racist-president-democrats-accuse-trump-inciting-violence-minneapolis-n1217871\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">manufactured outrage<\/a> from Democrats such as future President Joe Biden, who claimed Trump was &ldquo;calling for violence against American citizens during a moment of pain for so many.&rdquo; Meanwhile, Biden&rsquo;s future running mate, Kamala Harris, tweeted, &ldquo;Trump&rsquo;s tweets yet again show what racism looks like. This is why we need new leadership. Vote.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Several Democrat representatives, including <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/12\/01\/gop-led-house-expels-george-santos-but-not-terrorist-sympathizer-rashida-tlaib\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">terrorist sympathizer<\/a> and Rep. <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/rashida-tlaib\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rashida Tlaib<\/a>, D-Mich., called Trump a &ldquo;white supremacist&rdquo; and\/or a &ldquo;racist&rdquo; in response to the post. <\/p>\n<p>Lynch&rsquo;s Thursday outburst is hardly the first time Democrats have used &ldquo;thug&rdquo; to smear members of law enforcement for &mdash; wait for it &mdash; enforcing the law.<\/p>\n<p>Years before his 2020 Senate campaign, for instance, Georgia Democrat Raphael Warnock effectively <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2020\/09\/22\/democratic-georgia-senate-candidate-compares-police-to-gangsters-and-thugs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> police officers &ldquo;gangsters and thugs&rdquo; during a March 2015 sermon.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;So, in Ferguson, police power showing up in a kind of gangster and thug mentality &mdash; you know you can wear all kinds of colors and be a thug. You can sometimes wear the colors of the state and behave like a thug,&rdquo; Warnock said.<\/p>\n<p>The Peach State&rsquo;s now-junior senator used similar rhetoric later that year, describing members of law enforcement as &ldquo;bullies.&rdquo; <\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Shawn Fleetwood<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ShawnFleetwood\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@ShawnFleetwood<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/shawnfleetwood\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/democrats\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Democrats<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/deportations\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Deportations<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/ice\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">ICE<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/immigration-enforcement\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">immigration enforcement<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/law-enforcement\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">law enforcement<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/leftist-smear-tactics\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">leftist smear tactics<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/media\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Media<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/media-lies\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Media lies<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/nazis\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Nazis<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/propaganda-press\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">propaganda press<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/thugs\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">thugs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass., compared ICE officers to the Gestapo during a House hearing, calling them &#8220;thugs&#8221; and criticizing the Trump administration&#8217;s deportation policies. This rhetoric echoes past Democratic outrage when Trump labeled BLM rioters as &#8220;thugs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":539,"featured_media":2446506,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stephen-Lynch.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[3685,52567,32504,32715,53526],"class_list":["post-2446505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-democrats","tag-ice-agents","tag-political-strategy","tag-smear-campaign","tag-thugs-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Stephen-Lynch.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/539"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2446505"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2446509,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2446505\/revisions\/2446509"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2446506"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2446505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2446505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2446505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}