On Newsmax’s American Agenda this week, former DHS advisor Charles Marino and retired Lt. Col. Berney Flowers tore into the reckless left-wing rhetoric that has turned basic immigration enforcement into a public relations and safety nightmare. Both men, who have served inside our national security apparatus, argued that political posturing and performative outrage are not harmless — they directly imperil agents and undermine the rule of law.
Marino has been warning for months that hostile local politics and activist networks are making routine ICE operations exponentially harder and more dangerous, testimony he reinforced in congressional forums examining threats to ICE operations. The acting ICE leadership has echoed that same concern, warning that fiery rhetoric from elected officials and protesters inflames confrontations and puts officers and communities at risk.
What played out on the Central Coast of California this summer is the predictable result: heavily armed federal teams executing warrants at two Glass House Farms locations were met by massive crowds, violent clashes and chaotic scenes that endangered bystanders and agents alike. The raids, which detained scores of people and left multiple injured — and at least one worker gravely hurt during the melee — show what happens when enforcement becomes theater and mobs are invited to the perimeter.
Community groups and rapid-response networks that raced to the scene while streaming and amplifying footage did not help de-escalate; they turned enforcement into a viral moment and, by design or neglect, created openings for violent actors. Local reporting documented activists broadcasting convoys and urging people to “show up” — a recipe for confrontation when federal officers must carry out lawful arrests under warrant. Conservative commentators rightly ask whether encouraging crowds around moving enforcement ops is prudent or patriotic.
The human cost of this environment is real: agents are masking their identities to protect families, operations are being obstructed, and morale across law enforcement is fraying. If leftist politicians and activist influencers continue to normalize doxxing and public harassment of officers, we should expect more ambushes, more chaos, and more communities paying the price for political theater rather than sober enforcement.
Conservatives don’t cheer arresting workers or splitting families; we demand a system that restores order and protects citizens while enforcing immigration law humanely and lawfully. That requires elected leaders to stop egging on mobs, to stop weaponizing outrage for headlines, and to work with federal authorities instead of making officers scapegoats. The lesson is plain: you cannot protect your community by making enforcement impossible — and anyone who pretends otherwise is failing the very people they claim to defend.
