The Left’s hatred of ICE knows no bounds.
Their blind rage leads them to make terrible decisions.
And anti-ICE protesters made one bone-headed move that left a sheriff fuming.
Sheriff calls out "idiots" who ruined major drug bust
Pinal County Sheriff Ross Teeple had been working on a massive drug operation for six months.
His team partnered with ICE agents to track down a dangerous cartel member who had illegally re-entered the United States after being deported.
The investigation led them to a home on Tucson, Arizona’s southwest side in the area of Irvington and Midvale Park.
When they executed the search warrant, they hit the jackpot.
The raid netted over 120 pounds of fentanyl (equivalent to about 5 million pills), 35 pounds of cocaine, 20 pounds of meth, and four firearms.
But what should have been a triumphant moment in the fight against the deadly drug epidemic turned into a nightmare thanks to leftist protesters.
Anti-ICE demonstrators showed up from another protest happening at Valencia and Country Club and started interfering with the law enforcement operation.
"Here’s the crazy part — some idiots, thinking it was an ICE raid, came down and protested," Sheriff Teeple told reporters.
Video footage showed the crowd of protesters — many covering their faces — holding "Abolish ICE" signs outside the raided house.
The protesters actively tried to obstruct justice by blocking the tow truck as it attempted to remove the suspect’s vehicle from the scene.
Nearly 100 protesters showed up, with some coming from another violent anti-ICE protest that had taken place earlier that day at Valencia and Country Club where a building was vandalized and three people were arrested.
Sheriff Teeple was stunned at their behavior.
"We want our law enforcement professionals to be as safe as possible," Teeple explained. "And while they’re dealing with this extremely dangerous individual, who is a danger to the public, the public should understand that them being there, blocking law enforcement from doing their job…we had individuals at this pop-up protest that blocked the tow truck as it was trying to leave with the suspect’s vehicle."
Protesters refused to listen to reason
What made the situation even more infuriating was that the protesters didn’t care when law enforcement explained what was actually happening.
Sheriff Teeple said his officers told the demonstrators this wasn’t just an immigration case — they were taking down a known criminal drug smuggler and keeping the community safe.
The protesters didn’t budge.
"Even when it was explained to them [protesters] that this was a criminal case, where we were taking a criminal drug smuggler, a known felon off the street and keeping the community safe, they still sat there and protested because they don’t have an independent thought," Teeple told 13 News.
"These idiots came out and protested us getting 5 million fentanyl pills off the streets," Sheriff Teeple said. "They don’t have individual thought, they have group think."
This incident perfectly captures the warped mindset of the radical Left.
Their hatred of immigration enforcement is so intense that they’ll actively work to protect drug dealers and cartel members from facing justice.
They don’t care that these criminals are flooding American communities with deadly fentanyl that’s killing thousands of people.
All they care about is their anti-ICE agenda, even when it means standing in the way of a legitimate drug bust that took six months to plan.
The Left’s misplaced priorities on full display
This wasn’t some innocent misunderstanding where protesters realized their mistake and walked away.
Even after being told they were interfering with a major drug operation targeting a cartel member, they doubled down and continued to obstruct law enforcement.
Sheriff Teeple didn’t identify the suspected cartel member who was arrested or list the specific charges he faces.
But the fact that this individual had already been deported once and illegally returned to set up a major drug operation shows exactly why immigration enforcement matters.
The protesters’ actions endangered the officers conducting the raid and could have allowed a dangerous criminal to escape justice.
Their blind devotion to the "Abolish ICE" movement trumped any concern for public safety or getting deadly drugs off the streets.
This is what happens when ideology overrides common sense.
The Left has convinced their followers that immigration enforcement is always wrong, even when it’s being used to target the worst criminals in our society.
These protesters were so programmed to oppose anything involving ICE that they couldn’t recognize they were defending a cartel drug dealer.
Sheriff Teeple deserves credit for calling out these "idiots" and explaining how their actions endangered his officers and the community.
Law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect us from dangerous criminals like drug dealers and cartel members.
The last thing they should have to worry about is dealing with protesters who are more concerned with virtue signaling than public safety.
This incident shows why the anti-ICE movement is so dangerous and misguided.
When your hatred of immigration enforcement leads you to defend drug dealers, it’s time to rethink your priorities.