Dem councilman calls ICE 'state-sponsored terrorists' after San Diego residents interfere in immigration arrests

A California city councilmember faced heavy backlash online after he labeled Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents carrying out an operation "terrorists." The comments came after several San Diego residents attempted to interfere in multiple arrests conducted by ICE. 

In a photo posted to his social media, San Diego City Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera wrote in red letters, "terrorists" in a picture shared to Instagram.


Elo-Rivera posted the photo on Friday with the song, "Bulls On Parade" playing alongside it. "Look at this photo. This isn’t a war zone—it’s a neighborhood in our city," Elo-Rivera wrote with the photo. "In San Diego, they’ve targeted parents dropping off their kids at school, people following the law inside courthouses, and workers just doing their jobs at local restaurants."

He added, "These are federal agents carrying out raids on under the false pretense of ‘safety.' This isn’t safety. It’s state-sponsored terrorism. And anyone who cares about freedom—and true safety—should be fighting back."

In response to the post, Homeland Security wrote on X with a screenshot, "Elected officials comparing ICE law enforcement agents to terrorists is SICKENING. Attacks and demonization of ICE and our partners is wrong. ICE officers are now facing a 413% increase in assaults. ICE is working day and night to remove murder[er]s, pedophiles, and gang members from American communities."

ICE had made some arrests at a local restaurant in San Diego earlier on Friday afternoon. The operations were conducted by the agents at the Buona Forchetta and Enoteca Buona Forchetta restaurants. However, when ICE began to make the arrests, the people at the restaurant began to intervene as the agents placed a number of the workers under arrest, per KRON4. 

Some shouted at the agents as others hit the ICE vehicles, and the agents at one point used flashbangs in an attempt to get the crowd to disperse.