Democrats made a strategic misstep in 2020 when they embraced the “Defund the Police” movement—a move that cost them politically in the years that followed. Now in 2025, they’re walking into the same trap again, only this time it’s with their embrace of illegal immigration and open hostility toward immigration enforcement.
Even in the aftermath of violent anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles, Democrats like Mayor Karen Bass are doubling down. When asked by a Fox News producer if she would be willing to meet with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to discuss cooperation, her response was dismissive and alarming: the only “deal” would be for ICE to leave.
NEW: A @FoxNews producer asked LA Mayor Karen Bass this morning if she would be willing to meet with ICE and if there is a deal to be made re: ICE cooperation.
Bass said the only deal is for ICE to go home, and she gave no indication she would be willing to meet w/ the agency.
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 1, 2025
Let that sink in. A sitting mayor, in a major American city plagued by criminal violence, homelessness, and now riots, refuses to even speak with the federal agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws. Not to discuss boundaries, oversight, or priorities—just outright rejection of law enforcement presence.
This isn’t a debate over tactics. It’s a rejection of any immigration enforcement, period.
ICE, for its part, didn’t hold back. In what Fox’s Bill Melugin described as a “blistering statement,” Assistant Director of Public Affairs Emily Covington responded:
NEW: ICE responds to Bass w/ blistering statement & pokes her over her Ghana visit:
“ICE isn’t going anywhere and will continue to do what Mayor Bass has utterly failed to do – protect the citizens of Los Angeles. If she wants distance from federal law enforcement, I’m sure…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 1, 2025
“ICE isn’t going anywhere and will continue to do what Mayor Bass has utterly failed to do — protect the citizens of Los Angeles. If she wants distance from federal law enforcement, I’m sure there is an upcoming diplomatic trip to Ghana.”
A brutal indictment not just of Bass’s refusal to engage, but her broader failure in governance. Covington pointedly referenced Bass’s absence during the recent Los Angeles fires, when the mayor was reportedly out of the country.
But the situation spiraled further when Bass chose to wade into the social media fray. After Trump official Stephen Miller called her rhetoric “the language of insurrection,” Bass responded—but not with any defense of her policy. She took the bait.
The language of insurrection. https://t.co/CNqJNaPTGm
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) July 1, 2025
Miller promptly ended the exchange with a now-viral image: a foreign flag-waving protester standing triumphantly atop a burning vehicle during the anti-ICE riots in L.A. That is what happened under Bass’s leadership. That is what unchecked, radical anti-enforcement rhetoric fuels.
And Bass didn’t respond. Because there is no response.
The broader problem for Democrats is this: their escalating hostility toward ICE and refusal to enforce immigration law is not in step with the American public. Poll after poll shows that voters across the spectrum want border security. They want immigration laws enforced. They want safe communities. And they’re increasingly siding with the only party that’s promising to deliver it.
By 2026, these moments—these quotes, images, and viral videos—will be political gold for Republicans. Mayor Bass saying ICE must “go home.” Rioters waving foreign flags. Democratic silence in the face of lawlessness. Republicans won’t need to spin it—they’ll just need to press play.
