{"id":2570963,"date":"2026-02-18T08:42:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/while-democrats-anti-ice-fury-escalates-americans-show-they-want-immigration-laws-enforced\/"},"modified":"2026-02-18T08:47:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T13:47:08","slug":"while-democrats-anti-ice-fury-escalates-americans-show-they-want-immigration-laws-enforced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/while-democrats-anti-ice-fury-escalates-americans-show-they-want-immigration-laws-enforced\/","title":{"rendered":"New Evidence Shows America Wants To Enforce Immigration Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/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%2Fwhile-democrats-anti-ice-fury-escalates-americans-show-they-want-immigration-laws-enforced%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=2570963&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>This article argues that there is a sharp contrast between the rhetoric around immigration enforcement and the actual trend on the ground, showing that cooperation between local police and ICE is increasing even as protests and media narratives push against it.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The piece portrays protests and activist actions against enforcement of immigration laws as vibrant in the public sphere, including confrontations with ICE, demonstrations by students, and media coverage that emphasizes opposition too \u201cmean immigration cops.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Despite this activism, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >author cites data indicating<\/a> a rapid expansion of 287(g) memorandums, which allow local, state, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-supreme-court-needs-to-affirm-that-public-employees-cant-do-whatever-they-want\/\" title=\"The Supreme Court Needs To Affirm That Public Employees Can\u2019t Do Whatever They Want\">tribal police<\/a> to cooperate with ICE. by mid-February 2026, ICE reported thousands of such agreements across dozens of states (1,415 mous as of Feb 13, 2026; 1,427 MOAs by Feb 17, 2026; with dozens more pending).<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; A Spanish newspaper, El Pa\u00eds, is used to illustrate this opposing trend, noting the rise in local police participation with ICE and reignited debates about public trust, while offering figures from FWD.us and ICE.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The article points out that Democrats in some states have moved to terminate 287(g) agreements (e.g., Virginia and Maryland), supposedly to protect political clients and public resources, even as the overall number of agreements grows.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The author argues that the public\u2019s preference appears to favor enforcement and cooperative strategies over the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/faced-with-the-horrific-results-of-their-ideas-leftists-are-backpedaling-with-all-their-might\/\" title=\"Faced With The Horrific Results Of Their Ideas, Leftists Are Backpedaling With All Their Might\">activist narrative<\/a>, and notes that mainstream journalists are only recently beginning to acknowledge the expanding local cooperation with ICE.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; The piece concludes with a biographical note about the author, Chris Bray, a former infantry sergeant and history PhD, who also publishes on Substack.  <\/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>\n<p>Rhetoric versus reality, plainly illustrated.<\/p>\n<p>If you read or watch the news, you see constant marches and riots over the enforcement of immigration laws. Activists chase ICE and Border Patrol personnel in the streets, screaming insults and blowing whistles to alert others to the presence of Trump&rsquo;s mean immigration cops. High school students storm out of their classes (behind their activist teachers, following authority as they protest against government) to &ldquo;march against hate,&rdquo; attacking people who disagree with them.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<blockquote data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<div lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<p>&#128680;&#128680;SECOND VIDEO &ndash; Radicalized students continue to throw bottles, soda cans, and bark\/sticks at me. After getting hit in the neck with something wet, I ask the Winters PD police officer if I can be escorted back to my car. <\/p>\n<p>&mdash;<\/p>\n<p>Today I drove to Winters, California just west of&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IP9cirwRQW\">pic.twitter.com\/IP9cirwRQW<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&mdash; Beth Bourne (@bourne_beth2345) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/bourne_beth2345\/status\/2023928327225131400?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 18, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>If you believe what you see, the enforcement of immigration laws is becoming less popular by the day, as Americans rally to protect the people leftists call &ldquo;our undocumented neighbors.&rdquo; They seem to be winning. The streets say that America wants a large and permanent population of illegal immigrants, consuming a <a href=\"https:\/\/calmatters.org\/health\/2025\/03\/medi-cal-budget-shortfall\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">growing set of public resources<\/a> and driving the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.migrationpolicy.org\/article\/cities-struggle-migrant-arrivals-new-york\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">explosive growth<\/a> of both government and government-funded NGOs. We want the Biden years back. We&rsquo;re for this, passionately, and we want as much as we can get:<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Eagle Pass reports historic numbers of border crossings, impact felt in San Antonio\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/_PqmSwlmH5c?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>But a remarkable story from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prisa.com\/en\/info\/el-pais-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spanish news site<\/a> El Pais <a href=\"https:\/\/english.elpais.com\/usa\/2026-02-16\/local-police-agreements-with-ice-are-skyrocketing-in-the-united-states-reigniting-debate-over-public-trust.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reports this week<\/a> &mdash; the link is to the English-language version &mdash; on a development that will only be surprising if you believe what you see on CNN. &ldquo;Local police agreements with ICE are skyrocketing in the United States, reigniting debate over public trust,&rdquo; the headline says. From that story:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>An analysis of official data by&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.fwd.us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FWD.us<\/a>, a nonpartisan organization that advocates for comprehensive immigration and criminal justice reform, shows that 1,168 police departments had officers enrolled to assist ICE at the end of January, up from 135 during the Biden administration and 150 at the end of Donald Trump&rsquo;s first term&hellip;<\/p>\n<p>According to data published by ICE itself, as of February 13, 2026, the agency had signed 1,415 memoranda of understanding under section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, covering 40 states. In the first few weeks of 2026 alone, nearly 150 new local agencies joined the program.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>You can find extensive information about 287(g) agreements, which allow state, local, and tribal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iowa-dem-who-lost-narrow-election-admits-she-cant-win-in-court-must-go-through-pelosi\/\" title=\"Iowa Dem Who Lost Narrow Election Admits She Can\u2019t Win in Court, Must Go Through Pelosi\">police agencies<\/a> to formalize agreements with ICE to cooperate in the enforcement of immigration law, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ice.gov\/identify-and-arrest\/287g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">on the ICE website<\/a>. There are nuances to the agreements, which can take several different forms, but overall the regularly updated numbers on the ICE website are a little higher than the numbers in El Pais: &ldquo;As of February 17, 2026 5:10 pm ICE has signed 1,427 Memorandums of Agreement for 287(g) programs covering 40 states.&rdquo; A dozen additional agencies have applications pending for new 287(g) agreements. <\/p>\n<p>So as protests and riots against ICE grow more common, formal state and local cooperation with ICE grows <em>far<\/em> more common. The activist narrative collides with the increasing consensus on the value of routine institutional cooperation to enforce America&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/house-republicans-to-target-biden-harris-with-border-crisis-hearing-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"House Republicans to target Biden...Harris with border crisis hearing ... Washington Examiner\">longstanding immigration laws<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>The people have actually spoken. And not by blowing those idiotic whistles. <\/p>\n<p>This week, in an outburst of alarm, mainstream journalists have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2026\/02\/17\/nx-s1-5707449\/local-police-immigration-cooperation-287g\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">begun to notice<\/a>. In Democrat-captured states, leftist politicians are fighting to end 287(g) agreements in order to protect the massive stream of free public money that flows to their party&rsquo;s client classes. On her first day in office, Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.governor.virginia.gov\/media\/governorvirginiagov\/governor-of-virginia\/pdf\/ed\/ED-1-Directing-the-Commonwealth%E2%80%99s-Law-Enforcement-Agencies-to-Terminate-Any-and-All-Section-287(g)-Agreements.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">signed an executive order<\/a> forbidding the agreements between ICE and state (but not local) police agencies. She protected the Democratic machine&rsquo;s high-cost clients. And Maryland Governor Wes Moore just signed emergency legislation forbidding 287(g) agreements in that state.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Emergency law ends Maryland, ICE partnerships: Sheriff warns of safety concerns\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lFyIHRX9clY?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><\/span> <\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>But put those two things together: Democrats and the media oppose 287(g) agreements with a growing sense of panic, while the actual number of those agreements in effect is growing rapidly. Side by side, those two realities tell you quite a bit about what Americans really want, and how well Democrats really represent that consensus.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>      Chris Bray is a former infantry sergeant in the U.S. Army, and has a history PhD from the University of California Los Angeles, not that it did him any good. He also posts on Substack, at &#8220;Tell Me How This Ends,&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/chrisbray.substack.com\/\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rhetoric vs reality on immigration policy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2086,"featured_media":2570964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/winters-protest-1024x515.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[5052,3813,69322,71562],"class_list":["post-2570963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-enforcement","tag-immigration","tag-public-opinion-2","tag-united-states-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/winters-protest-1024x515.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570963","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\/2086"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2570963"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570963\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2570967,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2570963\/revisions\/2570967"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2570964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2570963"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2570963"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2570963"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}