Patriot Brief

  • What Happened: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called ICE agents "thugs" and said the MAGA right does not want poor people or people of color to vote.
  • Why It Matters: Schumer called the SAVE Act "Jim Crow 2.0" and claimed it would prevent over 20 million legitimate people from voting, vowing to block it in the Senate.
  • Bottom Line: Jake Tapper noted 83% of Americans support voter ID laws, but Schumer doubled down, saying Republicans want to suppress the vote.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer just called ICE agents "thugs" and accused Republicans of trying to stop poor people and people of color from voting.

Appearing on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday, Schumer attacked the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship to vote. He called it "Jim Crow 2.0" and claimed it would prevent over 20 million legitimate people from casting ballots.

"They make it so hard to get any kind of voter ID that more than 20 million legitimate people, mainly poor people and people of color, will not be able to vote under this law," Schumer said. "We will not let it pass in the Senate. We are fighting it tooth and nail."

Then he went after Republicans directly. "It shows the sort of political bias of the MAGA right. They don't want poor people to vote. They don't want people of color to vote because they often don't vote for them," Schumer said.

He also attacked ICE agents, calling them "thugs" for being near polling places. "To have ICE agents, these thugs be by the polling places that just flies in the face of how democracy works," Schumer said. He claimed their presence is intimidating and that Democrats will include language in legislation banning ICE from being near polling locations.

Host Jake Tapper pushed back with a fact that Schumer ignored. "About 83 percent of the American people, including majority Democrats, support voter ID laws," Tapper said.

Schumer dismissed it. He said states can have their own voter ID laws but claimed the SAVE Act goes too far by requiring proof of citizenship. He argued there is no evidence of voter fraud and that the proposal makes no sense.

Let that sink in. Eighty-three percent of Americans support voter ID. A majority of Democrats support it. But Chuck Schumer calls it racist, says it will suppress 20 million voters, and vows to kill it in the Senate.

This is the Democrat playbook. Call everything racist. Accuse Republicans of voter suppression. Ignore overwhelming public support. And attack law enforcement officers as thugs for doing their jobs.

Requiring proof of citizenship to vote is common sense. Every other country does it. Americans overwhelmingly support it. But Schumer and Senate Democrats will block it because they benefit from a system where citizenship is not verified.