A high-ranking Trump administration attorney received a swift schooling Thursday when he took to social media to whine about a recent court ruling regarding ICE agents’ ability to go masked.
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Rather than take a victory lap, James Percival, Seventh General Counsel for Homeland Security, lashed out at Philadelphia Democrats who challenged his department’s authority.
“Democrats across this country have no shame,” wrote Percival. “These mask restrictions on ICE lack even a plausible legal basis.”
Percival’s outburst came in response to news from Politico reporter Kyle Cheney that a federal judge has blocked Philadelphia from banning masks and face coverings.
Percival was apparently outraged that Philadelphia even attempted to limit how federal agents conduct themselves in the city, where immigration arrests have surged under President Donald Trump and communities report living in fear.
He argued the real danger was the one ICE agents face.
“This danger is not hypothetical,” Percival wrote. “Our officers are facing an 8,000% increase in death threats.”
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Minutes later, Americans stepped in to share their interpretations of Democrats’ demands.
“It’s wild to claim that wanting federal agents not to look like cartel gangsters with masked faces is framed as ‘threatening their families’ safety,'” Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow with the American Immigration Council, wrote. “Polls consistently show strong bipartisan opposition to ICE agents masking up.”
Attorney Tom Needham of Chicago added, “Why do they need masks when all other federal agents plus state and local law enforcement do not?”
“Real police do not wear masks,” wrote author William Turner. “The putative threat to their families is even greater. This has never been a problem.”
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