Former CNN anchor Don Lemon reportedly called on Black and Hispanic Americans to arm themselves against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), framing resistance to immigration enforcement as a constitutional right under the Second Amendment. The comments, made Thursday on The Left Hook podcast, have sparked alarm among law enforcement advocates and renewed scrutiny of violent attacks targeting ICE officers nationwide.
Speaking with host Wajahat Ali, Lemon urged “black people, brown people of all stripes” to legally obtain firearms in preparation for potential confrontations with federal agents. “Black people, brown people of all stripes, whether you’re an Indian-American or a Mexican-American or whoever you are, go out in your place where you live and get a gun. Legally,” Lemon said. “Get a license to carry legally. Because when you have people knocking on your door and taking you away without due process as a citizen, isn’t that what the Second Amendment was written for?”
Lemon continued, suggesting that ICE’s enforcement actions against illegal immigration amounted to violations of civil rights. “Go back and read what the Second Amendment says and perhaps it will knock some sense in the heads of these people who are saying, ‘Well, it’s all great. I don’t believe they’re doing it without due process,’” he said. “Nobody is illegal. It is a misdemeanor to cross the border.”
His remarks come at a time when ICE agents are increasingly the target of violence. According to the Department of Homeland Security, assaults on ICE officers have surged by 1,000 percent year-over-year. Federal officials have documented a wave of attacks on agency personnel and facilities — often in cities where anti-ICE sentiment runs high and local governments have adopted sanctuary policies.
In Chicago, ICE agents were reportedly attacked earlier this month when assailants rammed agency vehicles with cars. Chicago police officers allegedly stood down rather than assist federal agents under attack, according to reports. Days earlier, DHS confirmed that an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, had been violently targeted multiple times by protesters.
Portland, Oregon — long a flashpoint for left-wing unrest — has seen repeated riots outside ICE buildings. Protesters there have reportedly attacked conservative journalists covering the violence and attempted to use lasers against aircraft operated by federal law enforcement.
The violence has escalated beyond property damage. In Dallas on Sept. 24, two people were killed in a shooting at an ICE office before the gunman took his own life. Texas authorities say there were two previous incidents in July involving gunfire directed at ICE or Border Patrol facilities, including one in Alvarado, where ten people were charged with attempted murder.
In California, a person opened fire on ICE agents in July during a raid on a marijuana farm, prompting the FBI to offer a $50,000 reward for information leading to the shooter’s arrest and conviction.
Critics argue that rhetoric like Lemon’s only fuels hostility toward law enforcement officers already under siege. Supporters of ICE contend the agency plays a vital role in upholding immigration laws and maintaining border security — responsibilities that have become politically fraught in recent years.
As violence against agents grows and public figures encourage defiance, the line between protest and incitement continues to blur, underscoring the nation’s deep divisions over immigration, law enforcement, and the rule of law itself.
[READ MORE: Abrams-Founded New Georgia Project Collapses After Admitting to Illegal Campaigning]
