The ‘Mostly Peaceful’ Riots Are Back as ICE Protests Turn Violent

It was a busy weekend for federal law enforcement. To read media accounts, it was a weekend replete with unrelenting evidence of ICE and Customs and Border Protection’s malevolence. They “gassed children.” They deployed “violent tactics” against peaceful demonstrators. The administration they serve has turned “America’s streets into a shooting range,” in which civilians find themselves in the crosshairs.

In fact, the civil unrest on America’s streets was limited to a handful of municipalities where violent anti-law enforcement “resistance” tactics have become commonplace.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Political Violence

It was a busy weekend for federal law enforcement. To read media accounts, it was a weekend replete with unrelenting evidence of ICE and Customs and Border Protection’s malevolence. They “gassed children.” They deployed “violent tactics” against peaceful demonstrators. The administration they serve has turned “America’s streets into a shooting range,” in which civilians find themselves in the crosshairs.

In fact, the civil unrest on America’s streets was limited to a handful of municipalities where violent anti-law enforcement “resistance” tactics have become commonplace.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.