The following article was written by U.S. Representative Randy Fine, a congressman representing Florida’s 6th district.

America just experienced another tragic and preventable act of violence. Joshua Jahn, a criminal radicalized by hateful anti-law enforcement rhetoric from the Democrats, committed an act of leftist terrorism against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas. He undoubtedly was targeting law enforcement agents. He killed one person and wounded two more before turning the gun on himself.

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The mainstream media can play dumb all they want, but we know what the motive is, and we do not need CNN or MSNBC to confirm it. This terrorist attack was just another deadly consequence of years of demonization by the Left against law enforcement officers who risk their lives to keep our country safe.

Democrats built this climate of hate. For years, leftist activist allies have painted ICE and all law enforcement as evil villains. They smear ICE agents as racist, nazis, white supremacists, and convinced a large segment of the public that these officers are enemies rather than protectors. When you use this type of rhetoric, you are not engaging in debate. You are encouraging violence. The blood spilled in Dallas rests on those who have fed this narrative: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Hakeem Jeffries, Gavin Newsom, just to name a few.

This is not an isolated incident. Radical agitators across the country have escalated their attacks on ICE. I fear this will only become more common and more violent as the Left continues to deny their role in provoking it. The violence has escalated from tire slashing and brick throwing to this outright assassination attempt.

This was the fourth instance of violence or a threat against a Department of Homeland Security facility this year alone. This is because there is a significant percentage of those on the Left that believe violence is justified. Fully 25% of those who identify as “very liberal” and 17% of those that identify as “liberal” believe that political violence can sometimes be justified. The statistic is, unfortunately, far less shocking when you consider the string of political attacks against the right.

This goes further than just a poll on the internet. Last week, when the House of Representatives held a resolution to condemn Charlie Kirk’s assassination, 118 of 213 House Democrats did NOT vote to condemn it.

The problem very obviously goes beyond street-level agitators, and we need to call it out. Leaders at the highest levels have fueled this atmosphere. Sanctuary city politicians and radical governors have encouraged citizens to resist ICE at every turn. Gov. Newsom of California just this week issued a foolish and outright dangerous proclamation requiring ICE agents to remove their face masks when conducting field operations. This order was given despite increased doxing, threats against families, and now an assassination attempt on agents. Newsom is all but asking for the millions of criminal aliens in America to target law enforcement with this order, and he should be ashamed of himself.

That is why Republicans need to band together and stand with ICE agents and law enforcement officers every single day in Congress and at every level of government. That means standing against the pro-crime Democrats that, for inexplicable reasons, choose to sacrifice the safety of our law enforcement officers on the altar of self-righteousness. That is why I introduced the Initiating Criminal Enforcement (ICE) Act, which levies the same penalties on thugs that interfere with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations as those who aid and abet illegal immigrants. If you interfere with ICE, you should be in prison on the same row as criminal aliens and those that help them.

ICE and Border Patrol agents are combating our No. 1 national security issue in America. We rely on them to protect our borders. A nation that cannot protect its borders is not a nation, and a government that will not defend its law enforcement officers cannot defend its people. Our enemies abroad are watching. If they see that we cannot even safeguard those who protect us here at home, how can we expect them to take us seriously?

I stand with ICE. I stand with our Border Patrol. I stand with the men and women who wear the badge and face down danger on our behalf, and I will not sit silently while the Left paints targets on their backs. And I will not stop until those who attack our officers face the justice they deserve.

America must choose. We either stand with law enforcement, or we stand with leftist lawlessness. Where do you stand? I know where I do.

Share your prayers for ICE and law enforcement in the comments below.

This article was originally published at The Daily Signal. Photo Credit: Master Steve Rapport – Abolish ICE Protest, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93757893.