MSNBC had a meltdown this week after President Trump’s ICE teams launched aggressive, high-visibility raids in sanctuary cities, with co-host Alicia Menendez claiming the “real invasion” isn’t coming from the southern border but from law enforcement “terrorizing communities.”

During a segment reacting to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s complaints about ICE operations near a children’s summer camp, Menendez told Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-CA) that Republicans have “been trying to tell us that the invasion is coming from south of the border, but it would seem that the invasion into American cities is coming from law enforcement deployed by this administration to terrorize communities.” Barragan eagerly agreed, replying, “You’re absolutely right.”

The outrage followed a series of ICE operations across Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago, where agents have been deployed with National Guard support to detain criminal illegal aliens, gang members, and fugitives that local officials have shielded under sanctuary policies. Videos circulating on social media show ICE agents moving in tactical formations and detaining individuals outside workplaces and at traffic stops while protesters scream and film them.

Sanctuary Cities on the Defensive

Local leaders and left-wing activists claim the federal enforcement actions are traumatizing communities, with Los Angeles officials declaring that ICE is disrupting daily life in immigrant neighborhoods. Mayor Bass described the operations as “shocking,” focusing on an incident where ICE agents reportedly rode horses through a children’s camp area to secure the perimeter during a raid.

But the Trump administration argues the crackdown is long overdue, noting that sanctuary cities have refused to comply with federal detainer requests and have released violent criminals back onto the streets. ICE officials say the current operations are targeting individuals with outstanding deportation orders and those with criminal convictions, including assault, DUI, and gang-related offenses.

“President Trump made it clear: cities that refuse to protect their own citizens by shielding criminals will face the full force of federal law,” one senior DHS official told Breitbart News. “ICE is doing the job these cities refuse to do.”

Media Spin vs. Public Support

While MSNBC and Democrats frame the raids as heavy-handed and cruel, polling consistently shows the American public supports deportations and tough immigration enforcement. A recent Cygnal poll found over 60% of voters support mass deportations of illegal aliens, including a growing number of Hispanic voters who have shifted away from the Democratic Party over the chaos at the border and rising crime in their neighborhoods.

Even some Democratic strategists are warning that the party’s refusal to address the illegal immigration crisis is alienating working-class voters. Former Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry recently admitted that Trump was right about the need to secure the border, stating, “Without a border protected, you don’t have a nation.”

Expect the Crackdown to Continue

The Trump administration is not backing down. ICE, under the direction of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and with support from state National Guard units, plans to continue large-scale raids in sanctuary cities, with sources indicating new operations are planned in New York City, Denver, and Portland in the coming weeks.

The administration views these operations as part of a broader effort to reassert federal authority over immigration law and to dismantle the “sanctuary state” movement that exploded under the Biden administration. “No city is above federal law,” Trump told supporters at a recent rally in Arizona, adding that “sanctuary cities will be held accountable for harboring criminals.”

The Battle Lines Are Clear

As the 2026 midterms approach, the divide between sanctuary states and Trump’s enforcement-focused immigration agenda will only deepen. Democrats and their media allies will continue to frame enforcement as an “invasion,” while millions of Americans see it as a necessary step toward restoring safety and sovereignty.

In the end, the choice is simple: a country with laws and borders—or chaos and crime shielded by politicians who care more about protecting illegal aliens than American families. And if the reaction from MSNBC is any indication, Trump’s crackdown is striking a nerve exactly where it needs to.