Opinion: A Criminogenic View into ICE Terrorism
Meanwhile, oikophobic trends among youth erode the very sense of belonging that inoculates against extremism.
In recent months, a troubling pattern of violence has emerged against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol personnel and facilities. From a Fourth of July paramilitary-style ambush in Texas to lone-wolf shootings and escalated protest violence on the West Coast, these incidents reveal not isolated bouts of rage but troubling psychological and ideological currents. Understanding the minds behind these attacks is not merely an academic exercise—it is essential to crafting effective policies that uphold both security and civic virtue.
On July 4, 2025, at the Prairieland ICE Detention Center near Alvarado, Texas, eleven individuals executed a coordinated ambush, employing body armor, two-way radios, and diversionary fireworks to create chaos before opening fire. Federal indictments describe group slogans such as “FIGHT ICE TERROR WITH CLASS WAR!” scrawled on banners and graffiti, signaling a shared ideology that frames ICE as an oppressive force warranting armed resistance (U.S. Department of Justice, 2025). Participants ranged from local residents with no prior extremist records—like Cameron Arnold and Savannah Batten—to familial pairs such as Elizabeth and Ines Soto, suggesting recruitment through tight-knit activist networks (U.S. Department of Justice, 2025).
Just days later, on July 7, a lone gunman, 27-year-old Ryan Louis Mosqueda, opened fire at the McAllen Border Patrol Sector Annex before being killed by return fire. Mosqueda, who had been reported missing hours earlier, assembled multiple firearms and spray-painted cryptic symbols on his vehicle, yet exhibited no confirmed ties to organized groups (People Staff, 2025; The Associated Press, 2025). His father reported longstanding psychological struggles and an obsession with weapons, pointing to a personalized grievance or fixation rather than formal ideological alignment (People Staff, 2025).
Emerging Psychological Themes
Paramilitary Mindset & Planning
The Texas ambush exemplifies a transfer of military tactics—body armor, encrypted radios, diversionary devices—from battlefield to domestic activism. Such operational security measures reflect a group identity primed for violence, not mere protest.Group-Based Moral Disengagement
Whether through shared banners or familial bonds, these actors construct an “us versus them” worldview in which federal officers are dehumanized. Collective justifications (“class war,” “resist fascism”) dampen individual moral restraints, enabling coordinated aggression.Ideological Radicalization
Anti-ICE narratives borrowed from broader anti-fascist and class-war frameworks provide the moral cover for violence. Even lone actors like Mosqueda appear influenced by a warped sense of righteous combat against perceived state tyranny.Deficient Civic Formation
Underpinning these factors is a deeper erosion of faith, family, and moral education. Absent robust communal anchors, individuals lack the civic virtues—empathy, responsibility, respect for the rule of law—that traditionally check violent impulses.
Additional Threat Vectors
Beyond homegrown activists, intelligence and law enforcement agencies have flagged embedded operatives—cartel members, foreign military agents, and special-interest actors—seeking to exploit anti-ICE unrest. The invocation of the Alien Enemies Act against Tren de Aragua, a designated foreign terrorist organization with thousands of unlawful U.S. infiltrators, underscores the risk of coordinated narco-terror threats at the border (White House, 2025). Similarly, reports link socialist protest networks in Los Angeles to pro-Chinese front groups bankrolled by PRC-affiliated billionaires, suggesting Beijing’s strategic interest in fomenting domestic disorder (AOL News, 2025; YouTube, 2025). A CCP-linked financier is said to have channeled over $20 million into nonprofits supporting anti-ICE campaigns, offering logistics, equipment, and coordination (YouTube, 2025).
These foreign actors supply weapons, tactical training, and funding to catalyze violence, turning local grievances into nodes in a global campaign against American sovereignty. The financial pipelines emanating from global leftist organizations further exacerbate the threat, as ideological zeal meets logistical prowess.
Oikophobia & Generational Impact
Concurrently, an epidemic of oikophobia—intellectual and cultural self-loathing—has taken root among younger Americans. Defined as a repudiation of one’s own home and heritage, oikophobia manifests in a blind spot for national solidarity and moral fortitude (Quillette, 2019; Smith & Jones, 2021). Adolescents and young adults, overexposed to narratives denigrating American institutions, are more susceptible to radical ideologies promising utopian alternatives. This cultural disorientation weakens the psychological barriers against violence and undermines faith in civic duty, family bonds, and community formation.
Conclusion: Rebuilding Civic Virtue to Counter Violence
These assaults on ICE and Border Patrol are symptoms of deeper fractures in American civic identity. Paramilitary tactics flourish when moral and educational anchors erode. Moral disengagement spreads when communal narratives fail to teach empathy and respect for lawful authority. Ideological radicals—both domestic and foreign—exploit these deficits, financially supported by global leftist networks, including state actors like the Chinese Communist Party and transnational criminal enterprises. Meanwhile, oikophobic trends among youth erode the very sense of belonging that inoculates against extremism.
Policymakers must recognize that combating these threats requires more than law enforcement: it demands a renaissance of faith, family, and formation. Strengthening border security and counterintelligence measures will disrupt criminal and foreign networks. Equally critical is investment in family support programs, faith-based community initiatives, mental health programs that treat and does not enable, and education that emphasizes moral reasoning, civic responsibility, and national pride. Only by restoring these pillars can we prevent the rise of the Feral Man and heal the moral fabric of our nation.
References
People Staff. (2025, July 8). Border Patrol agents kill gunman who opened fire at Texas facility. People.
The Associated Press. (2025, July 7). Man with an assault rifle killed after shooting at a Border Patrol facility in Texas. AP News.
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Oregon. (2025, July 8). Four defendants charged with assaulting federal law enforcement officers and other offenses [Press release].
U.S. Department of Justice. (2025, July 8). Ten individuals charged with attempted murder of federal officers and firearms offenses in Alvarado police officer shooting [Press release].
White House. (2025, March 15). Invocation of the Alien Enemies Act regarding the invasion of the United States by Tren de Aragua.
The American Conservative. (2025, June). Group stoking anti-ICE LA riots tied to pro-Chinese Communist networks [online article].
YouTube. (2025, June). CCP-linked billionaire behind funding of Anti-ICE protests [video].
Smith, A., & Jones, B. (2021). The Crisis of Collective Identity: Oikophobia and the American Psyche. Journal of Cultural Studies, 15(2), 45–62. Quillette. (2019, October 7). ‘Oikophobia’: Our Western Self-Hatred. Quillette.