San Diego City Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera ignited a national firestorm after labeling Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as “terrorists” in a controversial Instagram post. The councilman shared a photo of ICE agents with the word “terrorists” scrawled across it in red letters, backed by the Rage Against the Machine track “Bulls On Parade.”

Elo-Rivera’s post accused ICE of carrying out “state-sponsored terrorism,” citing enforcement actions in local neighborhoods. “This isn’t a war zone — it’s a neighborhood in our city,” he wrote. “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.”

The Biden-era rhetoric this councilman is reviving didn’t sit well with the Trump White House. Senior advisor Stephen Miller slammed the post on X, pointing to the left’s growing hostility toward federal law enforcement. Miller’s message was blunt: the real extremism is coming from the progressive left.

The Trump administration has made restoring immigration enforcement a central tenet of its domestic policy, and this latest episode is exactly the kind of ideological clash it was expecting. According to Homeland Security officials, the recent raids in San Diego targeted violent criminal aliens with records that include rape and murder.

Elo-Rivera, however, doubled down on his claims. “These are federal agents carrying out raids under the false pretense of ‘safety,’” he said. “This isn’t safety. It’s state-sponsored terrorism.” In a follow-up post, he linked to a Cornell Law School definition of terrorism and argued that ICE’s actions fit the bill. When users flooded his comments with criticism, the councilman lashed back, calling them “fascists.”

Fox News’ Bill Melugin shared the image on X, triggering even more public outrage and prompting Elo-Rivera to reiterate, “I said what I meant and meant what I said.”

This isn’t the first time the councilman has hurled inflammatory language at ICE. He’s previously referred to agents as “cowards,” “criminals,” and “jackbooted thugs.” His latest outburst comes amid heightened scrutiny of sanctuary city policies and concerns from ICE officials about officer safety.

ICE Boston Field Office Director Patricia Hyde recently warned that hostility from local governments is making operations more dangerous. According to Fox News, assaults on ICE agents have skyrocketed by over 400 percent.

Elo-Rivera’s post is just the latest symptom of a broader Democrat effort to undermine immigration enforcement while shielding criminal aliens. Trump’s team is calling it out — and making clear that federal agents won’t be intimidated.

As the 2025 political landscape heats up, this clash over ICE could become a defining moment in the national debate over law, order, and American sovereignty.