Arizona Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego made threatening statements toward Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on Thursday, warning those who are conducting deportations that they “will not be safe” from future punishment after the Trump administration is out of office.
“If you are a U.S. government official and you are deporting Americans be warned,” Gallego tweeted. “When the worm turns you will not be safe because you were just following orders. You do not have to take part in illegal acts ordered by this President’s administration.”
Fox News reported that Chris Crane, the president of the National ICE Council, accused Gallego of trying to bring harm toward ICE agents.
“It should be frightening to every American that a sitting member of Congress would threaten the safety of any person and their family, and incite the public to take acts of violence against them, let alone the lives of those whose job it is to protect us and keep us safe,” Crane told the network.
Gallego’s comments came in response to a report from The Washington Post that claimed government officials were denying passports to Hispanic-Americans that were suspected of having fraudulent identities.
“The facts don’t back up the Washington Post’s reporting,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told Fox News. “This is an irresponsible attempt to create division and stoke fear among American citizens while attempting to inflame tensions over immigration. Under the Trump Administration, domestic passport denials for so called ‘midwife cases’ are at a 6-year low. The reporting is a political cheap shot.”