Three days ago, as I arrived at the Nashville airport, I watched ICE agents detain a well-dressed Hispanic young man and disappear him through a side door as masses of travelers streamed by, no one stopping to notice what was happening.
This morning, I awoke to a text message from a friend sending me photos of a shooting event about 10 miles from my house in Dallas — what turned out to be a sniper taking aim at a bus unloading ICE prisoners. But life went on around us, although quite a few people were inconvenienced due to I-35 being shut down during morning rush.
And then we got the all-too-predictable comment from Kristi Noem, head of Homeland Security: “We know that our ICE law enforcement is facing unprecedented violence against them. It must stop. Please pray for the victims and their families.”
Mark Wingfield
But those victims were not ICE agents. They were three “ICE detainees” with one killed and two wounded. The sniper did not kill or injure any ICE personnel. The FBI now tells us unspent ammunition found at the site contained “anti-ICE” messages, but no one yet knows the shooter’s motive — if there was a coherent motive — or why he shot detainees and not law enforcement.
Because Noem and her boss see immigrants as “vermin” and not people, it’s easy to jump to the conclusion that no one would target them with bullets.
What’s abundantly clear — once again — is that the “law and order” Trump administration is unable to admit its own perpetuation of violence. While all political violence is wrong — including shooting anyone — what does Noem think is going to happen when her masked hitmen are swiping legal immigrants off the streets, from businesses and out of secure airport lounges?
When you intentionally terrorize people, don’t be surprised when there’s pushback.
“When you intentionally terrorize people, don’t be surprised when there’s pushback.”
It’s hard to imagine Noem being concerned about or praying for the actual victims of the Dallas attack because they are the very people she has so viciously demonized. She clearly assumed — once again — that the victims of the shooting had to be her “good guys.” Just like what happened after Charlie Kirk’s assassination — and yes, once again, that also was an evil act — when Trump and allies immediately blamed “the Left” for the violence they and Kirk incited.
Let us not forget that Trump’s own rhetoric — as we have documented — is the most violent of any president in history. He is the chief agitator of political violence in our land.
Yet Joshua Johnson, acting director of the Dallas ICE removal office, told reporters today: “The takeaway from all this [is] that the rhetoric has to stop. … It’s dangerous and people are losing their lives.”
Ya think?
Your president is the inciter in chief of this violence. When you dare to confront him about his rhetoric, then we’ll listen to you.
Cue the other predictable statements.
Sen. Ted Cruz: “This needs to stop. Violence is wrong. Politically motivated violence is wrong.”
Vice President JD Vance: “The obsessive attack on law enforcement, particularly ICE, must stop.”
“Did none of these officials listen to Trump’s speech at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service three days ago?”
The rest of our nation’s law enforcement personnel ought to be embarrassed that Vance is lumping them in with ICE agents, who have become our American gestapo. They should protest the guilt by association.
And did none of these officials listen to Trump’s speech at Charlie Kirk’s memorial service three days ago? The one where he said he won’t stop hating his enemies and working toward their demise. Did none of them listen to White House adviser Stephen Miller defiantly declare, “We are on the side of God” and “You cannot deter us”?
We the people must be clear in saying political violence is wrong — even when incited and perpetuated by the president of the United States and his flying monkeys.
When you bully people and abuse people and terrorize people for political spoil, don’t be surprised when you are targeted too. It’s not right, it’s not good, but it’s reality. Eventually the schoolyard bully gets punched in the face.
As my father used to tell me all the time as a child, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”
Yet we live in a reality today that has been shaped by Trump’s own advice from the serpent in the Garden: “Never admit you’re wrong.” His life motto of bullying and intimidating and hurting other people to get his way has been adopted by his MAGA minions. The virus is contagious.
Yes, we need to stop the political violence. And the first step is to acknowledge the president of the United States is the source of the problem. When you dare to confront him about his rhetoric, then I’ll listen to you.
Mark Wingfield serves as executive director and publisher of Baptist News Global and is the author of five books, including Honestly: Telling the Truth About the Bible and Ourselves and Why Churches Need to Talk About Sexuality.
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