Senator Schmitt Defends National Guard Deployment, Condemns Surge in Violence Against Law Enforcement

Schmitt Blasts Democrat Rhetoric Fueling 1,000% Surge in Attacks Against ICE

WASHINGTON - Today, during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) defended the Trump administration's National Guard deployment and strongly condemned rhetoric from the other side of the aisle fueling a 1,000 percent surge in attacks against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and law enforcement officers.

Watch the full line of questions HERE

"It's important to understand why we're here. The fact of the matter is that the excusing of violence and the unlawful behavior by rioters and folks who seek to do harm against our law enforcement across this country has metastasized. You don't have to go back to ancient history. You look in the 'Summer of Love' of 2020, when Democrat Mayors and Democrat Governors sat idly by while bricks were dropped off when the sun went down and buildings burned, law enforcement officers were shot and spit at. And you know what the Democrat response was: 'We hear you, yes, we should defund the police'. Now, my friends on the other side, they want to sort of memory-hole that, but you could run a tale of the tape about elected Democrats who spouted this nonsense. When we talk about having local solutions, the fact of the matter is - I was Attorney General at the time - a lot of law enforcement folks, they just left. Police officers took early retirement. So, you're not going to just magically create this group of local law enforcement folks to take on violent crime," Senator Schmitt said in part during his opening remarks.

Senator Schmitt Defends National Guard Deployment, Condemns Political Violence Against Law Enforcement:

Senator Schmitt: "I want to talk about two different scenarios. You've got the D.C. scenario. Then you have the [Los Angeles], Portland scenario, where Antifa in particular, which is now thankfully been designated not only as a domestic terrorist organization, but a foreign terrorist organization because of their tactics. The fact is [Antifa] is a network, decentralized, that has safe houses and financing across the world, including the United States, who wants to do harm to ICE agents. What I don't hear a lot from my Democrat colleagues - they might condemn the violence - but what's telling is you don't hear any of them say, 'stand back and let ICE do their jobs'. Because, the fact is, they just don't actually believe in immigration enforcement. [Democrats] think that everybody has a right to be here, and no one should ever have to go home [to their country of origin]. Borders don't really matter. The villainizing of our law enforcement agents, especially ICE, is really destructive. Which then brings us to today, which is why the National Guard has been deployed in places like Los Angeles and Oregon. It's not unprecedented. The most obvious example people will remember is […] the Democrat governor of Arkansas who didn't want black kids to go to school with white kids. President Eisenhower, then, not only deployed the National Guard, but sent the 101st Airborne Division in. So, let's not pretend that this is some Constitutional crisis. The President of the United States has very clear authority to send [the National Guard] to protect federal buildings and protect the law enforcement, which is all that's happening. I want to ask General Guillot, what are some of the tactics that are being used right now by these thugs on the streets, these criminals, who are seeking to entice federal agents out with firecrackers, or whatever it is, so that they can actually take shots at, so they can assault them. Because I think it's important for the American people to understand what's actually happening, the violence that they're being subjected to. We just saw yesterday a National Guardsman being harassed by some clown on the street for doing his job protecting people. What are some of the tactics that are being used that are really dangerous for law enforcement right now?"

General Gregory M. Guillot, USAF, Commander of the U.S. Northern Command: "Senator, you just described many of the tactics that were being used when Title 10 forces were directed into Los Angeles to protect federal activities, to include ICE conduct of their duties. Also, in other cities, however, with court orders, our forces have not been on mission there to work in conjunction with the lead agencies, like they have in California."

Senator Schmitt: "There's no coincidence here. You've seen 1,000 percent increase in assaults on ICE officers. To my Democrat colleagues who want to have this hearing, we got to be honest about what's actually happening out there. This rhetoric is making it open season on law enforcement. It is incredibly dangerous. When we villainize ICE agents who have family members, who are husbands, who are mothers, who are simply enforcing the laws that Congress has passed over the years. This is insane, and the condoning of people blocking off vehicles from enforcing the law, these ICE agents. This is a powder keg. It's a powder keg. I'm very thankful for the men and women who are serving this country, who are protecting those agents, who are protecting federal assets, and the President is well within his authority to do it. Thank God we're challenging some of the assumptions that have existed for so long that people, particularly minorities, have to live in these crime ridden areas forever. It doesn't need to be that way. They don't deserve to have to sweep up glass every Sunday morning or have a loved one that is shot. We don't have to accept that anymore. Thank you for being here."

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