Aspiring Democratic lawmakers are competing to provoke the strongest reactions from Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who are doing their duty, which will inevitably lead to more extreme rhetoric and violence. Democratic leaders, especially local leaders such as Gov. JB Pritzker (D-IL) and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, have a duty to make it clear that the First Amendment does not create or protect a supposed right to obstruct law enforcement. They must be equally clear that those who do will be prosecuted.

Last Friday, Evanston, Illinois, Mayor Daniel Biss and journalist Kat Abughazaleh, who are both running to replace retiring Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), confronted ICE agents outside an ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois. Biss complained on social media that the agents tear-gassed and drove a van into activists, while Abughazaleh posted video of herself being tossed aside by ICE agents and falling to the ground.