In a House Judiciary Committee hearing this week, U.S. Congressman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) said, “What is really the major problem in this country today is the fascism in our streets. The attack on American citizens by masked hoodlums. If you were attacked by a masked person, you might think you’re being kidnapped, you’d be justified in shooting the person to protect yourself.”
Vice President JD Vance responded on social media by writing: “Jerry Nadler is one of the highest ranking Democrats in the House of Representatives and he is openly calling for people to shoot federal law enforcement. This is despicable behavior from an elected official and I’m sure the leftwing media will cover it extensively.”
This is BS. I’m not calling on citizens to shoot ICE. I’m calling on ICE to stop shooting citizens.
ICE is a rogue agency hellbent on terrorizing our neighbors and instilling fear in immigrant communities.
They should stop wearing masks, put on a uniform, and start wearing… https://t.co/Sb0yIY3JDp
— Rep. Nadler (@RepJerryNadler) February 3, 2026
Nadler replied to Vance: “This is BS. I’m not calling on citizens to shoot ICE. I’m calling on ICE to stop shooting citizens. ICE is a rogue agency hellbent on terrorizing our neighbors and instilling fear in immigrant communities. They should stop wearing masks, put on a uniform, and start wearing body cameras. Get a judicial warrant, too.”
Note: House Democrats including Nadler are proposing reforms to immigration enforcement warrants after an internal DHS memo signed by acting ICE director Todd Lyons, was shared by the Associated Press in January. The memo says ICE agents are permitted to forcibly enter homes with a signed administrative warrant, which typically authorize immigration arrests but do not permit officers to forcibly enter private homes without consent.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said of the Democrats’ proposal to follow the law: “Adding a whole new layer of judicial warrant requirements is an unworkable proposal.”
When DHS first started claiming administrative warrants met the legal requirement for forced entry, immigration law expert Aaron Reichlin-Melnick responded: “The Supreme Court has NEVER ruled that an administrative warrant can be used to break into a home. That’s because administrative warrants don’t require any independent oversight; they’re signed by low-level ICE officers themselves.”
Former U.S. Representative Justin Amash (R-IL), a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, wrote: “JD Vance isn’t this stupid, so what he’s doing here is deliberate and evil. You don’t just need ‘some kind of warrant’ to enter a home. You need a warrant from the judiciary. He knows this. He knows they’re breaking the law when they enter a home with an administrative warrant.”