NEWARK, N.J. – The protesters in Minnesota have been peaceful, but ICE agents haven’t been. That is the messaging coming out of New Jersey today from its future governor.
Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill sharply criticized President Donald Trump and federal immigration authorities this week in an ABC News interview, accusing them of intentionally escalating tensions with peaceful protesters and deploying federal power to intimidate civilians.
In newly surfaced remarks, Sherrill said she believes Trump’s latest comments and ICE’s recent actions are part of a coordinated effort to provoke unrest. “The president said he was going to use our American cities for practice for our troops,” Sherrill said. “I think he is trying to incite the protesters. The protesters have been peaceful, but ICE hasn’t been. They’re assaulting people on the street.”
Sherrill’s comments follow Trump’s announcement of a deployment order involving National Guard training operations in Alaska, which she suggested could be a precursor to placing troops on U.S. city streets. “He’s now put a deployment order out in Alaska to potentially put them on the streets,” she said. “I think he is trying to incite the protesters.”
The New Jersey Democrat, a former Navy helicopter pilot and federal prosecutor, painted a grim picture of what she called a breakdown of restraint among federal enforcement agencies. “People are driving their kids home from basketball practice, getting tear-gassed. People are getting shot and killed by these out-of-control proto-military agents,” she said.
Sherrill described ICE officers as increasingly aggressive toward civilians and linked those actions to what she characterized as Trump’s ongoing effort to build a domestic “militia” under the guise of law enforcement. “The protesters have been peaceful, but ICE hasn’t been,” she continued. “They’re busting through windows and cars… I think the president is trying to incite the protesters so that he can take America’s eyes off the fact that his militia that he’s building around this country is actually attacking American citizens.”
The President said he was going to use our American cities for practice for troops. He’s now put a deployment order out in Alaska to potentially put them on the streets. I think he is trying to incite the protesters. Somebody asked me yesterday, Haven’t the protests been peaceful? I said, The protesters have been peaceful, but ICE hasn’t been. They’re assaulting people on the street. They’re busting through windows and cars. People are driving their kids home from basketball practice, getting tear-gassed. People are getting shot and killed by these out-of-control proto-military agents. I think the President is trying to incite the protester so that he can take America’s eyes off the fact that his militia that he’s building around this country is actually attacking American citizens.
New Jersey Governor-Elect Mikie Sherrill on ABC News
Her remarks come amid renewed scrutiny of ICE’s conduct following multiple incidents involving use of force during public demonstrations. While federal officials have not responded directly to Sherrill’s accusations, the Biden transition team and state leaders have faced pressure to clarify their position on federal enforcement tactics as Trump continues to weigh in on national unrest.
Sherrill is expected to take office next month and has pledged to push for reforms limiting the use of federal agencies in local law enforcement operations, calling it “an abuse of power inconsistent with the values of a free nation.”
Her comments mark one of the strongest condemnations yet by an incoming governor toward Trump-era enforcement practices and signal that the clash between state governments and federal agencies may continue long after the administration’s transition of power.
Subheading: Sherrill says ICE has become “violent and out of control,” accusing Trump of using federal power to provoke unrest in American cities.
