Fox News viewers were left stunned and furious this week after network host and former congressman Trey Gowdy floated an outlandish theory that the gunman who opened fire on an ICE facility in Texas might have been a MAGA supporter targeting illegal aliens. The bizarre and tone-deaf speculation has many conservatives questioning why Gowdy is even on the air.
The tragic attack took place at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Texas, where a gunman ambushed agents, firing at a van and leaving one detainee dead and two others wounded. By all accounts, the shooter appeared to be targeting ICE personnel. Instead, in a wild twist, Gowdy speculated that the gunman may have been acting as some sort of vigilante “MAGA” American, bent on killing detainees.
Discussing the shooting on Fox, Gowdy first acknowledged the need to determine the shooter’s motives. “To know the motive, you’ve gotta know the target,” he said, suggesting investigators should dig into the suspect’s online activity and personal connections. That much was reasonable. But then came the jaw-dropper.
“Or… was he implementing his own form of due process for these detainees and killing them?” Gowdy asked. He added, “Due process does not include a citizen taking a shot at somebody — no matter how long they’ve been in the country illegally.”
The implication that a MAGA supporter would somehow target illegal aliens already in custody—on their way to deportation—infuriated many conservatives. Online backlash was swift. One user blasted Gowdy as a “closet Hicklib,” saying, “Yeah man, I’m sure someone shot up an ICE facility because they wanted to kill illegal aliens, who were already on their way to being deported. So dumb.” Another asked bluntly: “Why does Fox News keep bringing Gowdy on? He clearly hates conservatives.”
While Gowdy tied himself in rhetorical knots, others pointed to the obvious culprit: the climate of hatred against ICE created by the American left. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem condemned the violence and squarely blamed years of reckless anti-ICE rhetoric from progressives.
“Our prayers are with the families of those killed and our ICE law enforcement,” Noem said. “This vile attack was motivated by hatred for ICE. For months, we’ve been warning politicians and the media to tone down their rhetoric about ICE law enforcement before someone was killed. This shooting must serve as a wake-up call to the far-left that their rhetoric about ICE has consequences.”
She continued, “Comparing ICE day in and day out to the Nazi Gestapo, the Secret Police, and slave patrols has consequences. The men and women of ICE are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters. They get up every morning to try and make our communities safer. Like everyone else, we just want to go home to our families at night. The violence and dehumanization of these men and women who are simply enforcing the law must stop.”
At the end of the day, the truth is simple: ICE agents risk their lives to uphold our immigration laws and protect American communities. Demonizing them has consequences, and tragically, this attack proved it. The left’s anti-ICE rhetoric—not “MAGA America”—is what fueled this violence. Trey Gowdy should know better.
