Republicans are optimistic that the protests being held by left-wing activists outside Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities in Chicago and Portland will do more to drum up support for the Trump administration than Democrats’ progressive agenda.
Since the start of October, protesters have spent days and nights outside ICE detention facilities in Chicago and Portland to call attention to President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement tactics.
However, some GOP operatives believe the protests, in which demonstrators have shown up naked or costumed, have done more to help Republicans than their counterparts.
“If you think this is crazy, congratulations, you’re a Republican!” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in an X post late Sunday, referring to a nude bicycle rally outside an ICE facility in downtown Portland over the weekend.
If you think this is crazy, congratulations, you’re a Republican! https://t.co/9oX5p3Sk0g
— Karoline Leavitt (@karolineleavitt) October 13, 2025
The bicyclists paraded through the city Sunday afternoon, only slowing down in front of an ICE facility to flip off nearby ICE officers and Border Patrol agents who stood atop the building’s roof as security.
Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin characterized the recent procession of nudists as “bizarre.”
“In a bizarre effort to obstruct ICE law enforcement, agitators are now laying in the street naked to stage ‘die-ins’ to block roads in front of ICE facilities,” McLaughlin said in a statement. “These unsightly tactics won’t stop us or slow us down — our law enforcement will continue to remove murderers, pedophiles, rapists, gang members, and terrorists out of our country.”
Although protests outside this particular site have largely been peaceful, with protest organizers saying they hope to contrast the “joy” of the movement with Trump’s depictions of the city as crime-ridden, their demonstrations have been unorthodox, with people dressing up as unicorns, frogs, and dinosaurs.
At other times, there have been altercations with law enforcement that have led to dozens of arrests. The protests are taking place as the Trump administration has sent in federal law enforcement and the National Guard to multiple cities.
Axiom Strategies GOP operative Matt Wolking contended that “Republicans should absolutely take advantage” of the moment they find themselves in.
“Crime and the consequences of illegal immigration are top concerns for voters, and Republicans have a clear advantage on these issues,” Wolking wrote in an email. “The left’s weird protests, violence, and pro-crime policies are seen as chaos, which voters are repelled by.”
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella told the Washington Examiner on Monday that the way Democrats have demonstrated their political frustrations in recent weeks is symbolic of how the party views public safety and immigration enforcement.
“Democrats are the party of mobs and meltdowns. While the left descends into lawlessness and chaos, Republicans are standing up for law, order, and common sense. Voters are seeing the contrast clearer than ever,” Marinella wrote in an email.
Meanwhile, Democrats believe the Trump administration is pursuing unnecessarily aggressive immigration tactics, including the use of chemical agents.
Protests in Chicago’s Broadview suburb, the site of another ICE detention facility, have become violent at times, with federal and state police being called in to clear a path for vehicles to pass in and out of the facility.
On Chicago’s streets, protesters have intervened in police operations as Border Patrol and ICE law enforcement attempt to detain suspected illegal immigrants.
Nick Puglia, regional press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee, argued that voters in states far from Oregon and Illinois will view the protests and interference as actions that contradict their core values.
“Everyday Americans in battleground states like Georgia and North Carolina will vote for leaders who fight for them — not radical Democrats like Jon Ossoff and Roy Cooper who care more about criminal illegal aliens than their safety,” Puglia wrote in an email Monday.
TRUMP IS SENDING ICE, BORDER PATROL, AND TROOPS TO THESE BLUE CITIES
At the same time, some polling suggests that while a majority of voters agree with deporting illegal immigrants, roughly the same proportion disagrees with the administration’s handling of immigration enforcement.
Trump’s approval rating on immigration has faded since he took office. CBS News polling conducted in February and again in September revealed that his approval on the matter has gone from 54% to 45%.
