Eric Swalwell wants ICE “completely crushed.”
Not reformed. Not restructured. Crushed.
A sitting United States congressman went on national television and told federal law enforcement officers to “quit, walk away” from their jobs. And he did it while agents are being attacked in the streets, losing fingers to rioters, and defending themselves against armed assailants.
This is where we are now.
The Quote
Swalwell appeared on CNN Monday and delivered what might be the most irresponsible statement from an elected official this month — which is saying something given the competition.
“This ICE, as it exists, is unworkable. And so my advice to ICE, frankly, is quit, walk away, do it now before you shoot in the face another mom of three. This ICE is unworkable, and it needs to be completely crushed and reshaped.”
Crushed. That’s the word he chose.
He then called on his Republican colleagues to stop giving ICE “a penny to roam our streets in a mass way, shooting innocent people in the face, taking loved ones away from their families.”
Roaming our streets. Shooting innocent people. This is how a sitting congressman describes federal law enforcement doing their jobs.
The “Mom of Three” Lie
Swalwell referenced a “mom of three” being “shot in the face.” He’s talking about Renee Good, who died earlier this month in Minneapolis.
Here’s what actually happened.
Good attempted to run over an ICE agent with her vehicle. Using a car as a weapon against law enforcement is attempted murder. The agent defended himself.
That’s not “shooting an innocent person in the face.” That’s stopping someone from killing you with a two-ton vehicle.
But Swalwell doesn’t mention any of that. He just says “mom of three” and “shot in the face” because it sounds horrific out of context. Because the truth doesn’t serve his narrative.
This is deliberate misinformation from a member of Congress. He knows what happened. He’s lying anyway.
The Chinese Spy Guy
Let’s talk about Eric Swalwell’s credibility for a moment.
This is the man who had a years-long relationship with a Chinese spy named Fang Fang. She helped fundraise for his campaigns. She placed interns in his office. The FBI had to give him a defensive briefing because a foreign intelligence operative had gotten that close to him.
He was never held accountable. He kept his seat on the Intelligence Committee until Republicans finally removed him in 2023. He still serves in Congress, still goes on TV, still lectures everyone else about national security.
And now he wants ICE “crushed.”
A guy who couldn’t spot a Chinese honeypot thinks he should be dictating policy on federal law enforcement. A man compromised by foreign intelligence wants to defund the agency protecting American borders.
You can’t make this up.
The Permission Structure
Swalwell’s comments don’t exist in a vacuum.
Minneapolis is burning. Two people are dead after attacking federal agents. A rioter bit off an agent’s finger. Tim Walz is calling ICE “Gestapo.” Barack Obama is calling for more protests. Bill Clinton is accusing Trump of murder. Arizona’s AG is discussing Stand Your Ground laws in the context of shooting ICE agents.
And now Swalwell tells agents to “quit, walk away” before they “shoot another” innocent person.
Every one of these statements gives permission. Every accusation legitimizes resistance. Every call for ICE to be “crushed” tells someone that attacking these agents is justified.
Then when agents get hurt — when fingers get bitten off, when officers are surrounded by mobs, when they have to defend themselves against armed attackers — Democrats act shocked.
They’re not shocked. This is the outcome they’re engineering.
“Roaming Our Streets”
Listen to Swalwell’s language.
ICE agents are “roaming our streets in a mass way.” Like they’re a gang. Like they’re predators hunting civilians. Like they don’t have legal authority, constitutional backing, and democratic mandate to enforce immigration law.
This is dehumanization. The same rhetorical technique used throughout history to justify violence against targeted groups. You don’t attack “federal law enforcement officers doing their jobs.” You attack people “roaming streets” and “shooting innocents.”
Swalwell knows exactly what he’s doing. He’s not stupid. He’s malicious.
The Defund Push
Swalwell explicitly called on Republicans to stop funding ICE.
“The next right thing is to no longer give these guys a penny.”
Democrats are threatening to shut down the government over DHS funding. Schumer says they won’t provide votes if ICE funding is included. Gallego says he “won’t fund murder.”
And now Swalwell is trying to pressure Republicans to join them.
This is a coordinated campaign. The riots provide the chaos. The rhetoric provides the justification. The funding fight provides the mechanism. Cut off ICE’s money and the enforcement stops.
That’s the play. Swalwell just said the quiet part out loud.
The Real Target
Swalwell claims to support border security. He says he wants “resources at the border” and “more asylum judges.”
But border security means nothing without interior enforcement. What good is catching people at the border if those who slip through can never be removed? What’s the point of asylum judges if sanctuary cities refuse to hand over people who lose their cases?
ICE is interior enforcement. ICE is how you remove people who are here illegally. ICE is the mechanism that makes border security meaningful.
“Crushing” ICE doesn’t complement border security. It destroys it. And Swalwell knows that.
He doesn’t want a secure border. He wants open borders with theater at the edge.
The Agents He’s Targeting
Think about the ICE agents hearing Swalwell’s comments.
They’re doing a job most people wouldn’t take. They face hostility everywhere — from politicians, from media, from mobs in the street. They’ve watched colleagues get attacked. They know an agent lost a finger this week.
And a United States congressman just told them to quit before they “shoot another innocent person.” He called their agency “unworkable” and said it needs to be “crushed.”
These are real people with families. They didn’t sign up to be political punching bags. They signed up to enforce the law.
Swalwell wants them gone. He wants them demoralized. He wants them to walk away so illegal aliens can stay.
The Bottom Line
Eric Swalwell — the Chinese spy’s boyfriend — went on national television and called for federal law enforcement to be “completely crushed.”
He told agents to quit. He called them murderers. He demanded Republicans defund them.
He did this while Minneapolis burns. While agents are attacked. While his party provides rhetorical cover for violence against federal officers.
This isn’t opposition. This isn’t policy disagreement. This is incitement dressed in a suit.
Swalwell wants ICE crushed because ICE is enforcing laws his party spent years ignoring. He wants agents to quit because their success exposes his failure. He wants the chaos to continue because chaos serves his agenda.
Remember this the next time he lectures anyone about threats to democracy.
The threat is him.