Violence Toward ICE Reflects a Core Interpersonal Aspect of Leftist Psychopathology
Cluster B psychopathology at the level of society
A Surge in Violence Directed at ICE
Unless you are totally disconnected from all sources of information concerning current events, you are no doubt aware of the recent spate of interference and violence directed at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials as they enforce immigration law. This surge in violence directed at ICE and other law enforcement agents is undoubtedly partly a reaction to president Trump’s aggressive policies and agenda concerning immigration (Orange Man bad in all things).
The standard fare accusations hurled by upset Leftists and legacy media mouthpieces is by now familiar: “fascist,” “authoritarian,” “terrorizing.” So is the pathological emotional blackmail (more on that below).
The massive uptick in violence directed towards ICE agents has been most prominent in the State of California (Los Angeles, obviously, prompting the Department of Homeland Security to release a statement calling on Democrat politicians in the State to temper dangerous rhetoric about ICE ), as well as Texas, and recently prompted Trump himself to post on social media the following:
Violence Directed at ICE and Emotional Blackmail about ICE Raids Reflect a Core Interpersonal Aspect of Leftist Psychopathology
In 2022, I wrote about what I then was beginning to see with remarkable clarity: the New Left, the Progressive Left—the Democratic Party—was defined by a particular pattern of affect and behavior: Cluster B and internalizing psychopathology. TL; DR: the New Left is characterized by affect and behavior that comprise the Cluster B personality disorders as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM): Antisocial, Borderline, Histrionic, and Narcissistic personality disorders (DOs), as well as Axis-1 internalizing (i.e., depressive, anxious) mood disorder psychopathology (symptoms characterizing those disorders). Out of this array, the antisocial and borderline personality disorders are perhaps the most salient for their relevance to the current behavior and violence directed at ICE agents as they carry out their job enforcing the country’s immigration laws.
While the nature of antisocial personality disorder needs no lay explanation, borderline personality disorder (BPD) is worth focusing on in a bit more detail.
A key aspect of BPD is intense difficulties in interpersonal relationships, particularly close relationships, characterized by a “love-hate” dynamic in which significant close others are both idealized and devalued, leading to chronic instability in the relationship, often characterized by active emotional and physical confrontations that can be violent, often with threats of abandonment or self-harm on the part of the person with BPD. It is this interpersonal dynamic—scaled at the level of political ideology and its relation to American society—that strikes me as characterizing the Leftist reaction to ICE agents—and by way of generalization—to the immigration policies of the current Trump administration. What it strikingly reveals is their simultaneous idealization of what they think the country should be, a sanctuary protective haven for oppressed peoples from all over the world, while also their simultaneous hatred and disdain for the ideals the country is upholding; namely, a nation-state with borders and rules for traversing those borders legally and actionable consequences for those who do not.
I recently highlighted on X the observations made above in reaction to a particularly relevant 2024 tweet by Joel Berry. In the tweet, Berry described his view of what mass migration was about for Leftists. Importantly, “revenge colonization” highlights the same motivation of hatred towards the country (as well as Trump, of course) that the violence towards ICE agents reflects.
The behavior directed at ICE agents mirrors the pattern of behaviors deployed by Leftist trans activists and progressive activists more generally. Performative emotional blackmail, street theater histrionics, and baselessly accusing the rule-enforcing agencies and individuals as committing genocide, “terrorizing immigrant communities”, or otherwise exaggerated and hyperbolic claims of malfeasance are all part of the Leftist playbook. Each reflects classic borderline behavior, but scaled to (i.e., directed toward) the level of society. The individual ICE agent is simply a proxy for their rage at what they perceive to be the “bad nation-state.” That is, the borderline behavior is no longer defined as between a dyad (i.e., a two-person interpersonal situation), but rather is now observed at the level of the relationship between the “bad country” and the borderline citizens.1
Steven Goldberg, writing in 2003 about America and the nature of human society, captured the essence of this pathological social dynamic when he stated (my italics):
“If questioned values are not merely a few values in a thin slice of one’s reality, but a great number encompassing a huge portion of that reality, it is possible that the threat to one’s security will be overpowering and immobilizing. This will be particularly damaging if we have now passed a critical point at which uncontrollable, omnipresent change itself has, because of the unavoidable confusion into which it throws the value system’s hierarchy of expectations, the nihilistic effect of inculcating in the young hatred for an irrelevant past, terror toward a future of despair, and a narcissistic hedonism that threatens any sense of community.”
Juxtaposed against the emotionally histrionic obfuscation and (mis)characterization of events surrounding the ICE raids recently conducted in California by Democrat officials, below is much more accurate rendering of what actually happened (see also this tweet from the Department of Homeland Security).
It’s not surprising, of course, that the same Democratic officials decrying the ICE raids in California are the same ones, including senator Alex Padilla of Calfornia, who have introduced legistlation to ban ICE agents from wearing masks when enforcing immigration law, suggesting mask wearing by ICE agents “endangers public safety.” Padilla, you may note, was the same senator who had to be forcibly removed by FBI officials from an immigration press conference in Los Angeles involving DHS secretary Kristi Noem when he failed to identify himself while “lunging” towards the podium (according to Noem). Here’s the full video for you to judge for yourself. Regardless of the timing on when he identified himself (it appears he does so here after already being pulled away from the podium), it’s hard not to miss the performative, narcissitic (Looke at ME ME ME!) aspect of the entire scene on the part of Padilla, who could have certainly posed the questions without the theatrics.
You may be wondering how violence coming from the Right (e.g., the J6 riot) is different from that which I have outlined as reflecting Leftist psychopathology. This is an issue that I plan to address in depth in forthcoming research and scholarship. For now, I should note that the psychopathologies that are germane to Leftism and Rightism will share some some overlap in their biological and social determinants. However, consider: Leftist violence is often accompanied by a moralizing savior complex with accompanying hatred and vitriol towards what they perceive as a fundamentally flawed “bad” country, casting their actions as defending the oppressed or “harmed.” In contrast, January 6 rioters often described themselves as “patriots,” focusing more on national betrayal and defending a violated system that was “good” before it was subverted. Stay tuned and consider becomming a paid subscriber to help me pursue this research without constraint. I would appreciate it!
Violence toward ICE is a direct result of allowing these people to get away with criminal behavior. They do not see consequences for their actions. It’s pretty simple.
These people have been driven to this behavior by our very own government.
Yes—this. I’ve been seeing the same thing for a while now but hadn’t framed it in DSM terms until I read this. It’s not just politics anymore; it’s affect and pathology driving the whole show.
The antisocial and borderline traits are especially glaring. The constant cycling between grievance, rage, and emotional coercion—it’s not debate, it’s dysregulation weaponized as ideology. And you’re dead right about the ICE example. That kind of unhinged hostility isn’t about policy; it’s psychological projection with a political veneer.
This isn’t just “the Left being too online.” It’s an entire movement animated by emotional instability and reinforced by platforms that reward it. You’ve nailed it.