Jeffries says Americans ‘turned on’ Trump over immigration; The White House responds

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., on Wednesday attacked the Trump administration’s immigration efforts, which he said Americans opposed.

Jeffries’ comments came during his near-daily news conference on the government shutdown in response to a reporter asking an unrelated question about whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should be cut.

“We have all been very outspoken about the out-of-control behavior unleashed against law-abiding immigrant communities by masked agents hiding their identities and far too often violating the rule of law, often directed against people who are U.S. citizens,” the top House Democrat responded.

“All of this is unacceptable and is one of the reasons the American people have turned against Donald Trump and the Republicans over their extreme immigration policies,” he said.

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House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries speaks during a news conference at the Capitol in Washington, August 2025. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu/Getty Images)

He then demanded that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) be held “accountable for the excesses and extremism it is a victim of in relation to what the American people are experiencing.”

“And yet we see no accountability on the part of Republicans,” Jeffries continued. “It’s unfortunate, but Democrats will continue to make the case to the American people that this is all wrong. Much of this is illegal and it must stop.”

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White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson responded to Fox News Digital: “ICE agents are facing a 1,000% increase in assaults due to the unbalanced rhetoric of Democratic activists and politicians who vilify heroic ICE agents.

DHS previously reported that a knife-wielding protester in a keffiyeh ambushed ICE agents at a San Francisco courthouse. (Department of Homeland Security)

Attacks on ICE have increased since Trump took office. A North Texas woman was arrested this week in connection with a violent attack on an Alvarado ICE facility, according to CBS News.

FBI Director Kash Patel previously called the incident a “planned and coordinated terrorist attack.”

Democrats have spent much of Trump’s first year in office criticizing ICE’s actions, particularly focusing on stories of U.S. citizens being unjustly detained by federal authorities.

The majority of Republicans pushed back, arguing that ICE had largely done the necessary job in cracking down on illegal immigration.

ICE agents review lists of names, court times and locations inside the Federal Plaza courthouse before making arrests in New York, June 27, 2025. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)

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Jeffries’ comments come after Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, said the committee would launch an ICE “tracker” to keep tabs on “incidents” in which the agency is involved.

Democratic Watchdog spokeswoman Sara Guerrero said in a statement: “The tracker documents unconstitutional actions after they occur – it is not a live tracking tool. Creating this type of investigative file is common and essential in any surveillance investigation. »

“We do not track officers’ locations or put anyone in harm’s way. We release materials to expose misconduct and to create a transparent public record for the American people. Our work will always protect the public, law enforcement, and the Constitution,” she said.

But House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil, R-Wis., whose panel would have jurisdiction over documents used by Congress, ruled out that possibility.

“The House of Representatives will absolutely not maintain a website that tracks or harasses ICE agents,” Steil said in a statement.