President Donald Trump on Friday reportedly issued a forceful directive instructing federal authorities to arrest anyone who attacks Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers—particularly amid recent clashes during operations at California cannabis farms.
In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, Trump described seeing “thugs…violently throwing rocks and bricks at ICE Officers while they were moving down a roadway in their car and/or official vehicle.”
He specifically directed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Tom Homan to “instruct all ICE, Homeland Security, or any other Law Enforcement Officer…to stop their car, and arrest these SLIMEBALLS, using whatever means is necessary to do so.”
The president emphasized that the agents have “Total Authorization…just like they protect the public,” and affirmed, “I never want to see a car carrying a Law Enforcement Officer attacked again!”
These remarks follow violent episodes in Ventura County, California, where ICE conducted raids at two cannabis farms and made around 200 immigration-related arrests.
Counterprotesters reportedly threw bricks and rocks at agents, who responded with tear gas and other crowd-control tactics. Tensions escalated further when a protester allegedly discharged a firearm, prompting an FBI offer of a $50,000 reward for information.
Tragically, one farm worker died after falling from a greenhouse roof during the sweep.
Trump’s directive marks a significant shift in enforcement tone, granting ICE broad authority and signaling aggressive tactics are now endorsed at the highest levels of conservative leadership.
Critics argue that such open-ended permission risks escalating violence and undermining civil liberties, raising concerns about law enforcement overreach.
Supporters, however, welcomed the president’s hardline stance, framing it as a necessary defense of federal authority and public safety. They praised the policy as a decisive response to violent lawlessness and a reclamation of government control.
The directive also undercuts earlier efforts by senior ICE officials to limit enforcement at noncriminal workplaces—restrictions that were bypassed during the recent raids.
Trump’s messaging aligns with his broader “law and order” campaign approach, reinforcing a theme of strength against disorder at the U.S.–Mexico border and within domestic immigration enforcement.
As ICE agents now operate with explicit backing to act “by any means necessary,” the country may brace for more robust—and potentially confrontational—engagements between federal police and demonstrators.
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