Democrats Adam Gray and Josh Harder criticized for ‘thanking ICE’
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- Two Central Valley Democrats backed a resolution condemning antisemitism and praising ICE.
- Progressives criticized the vote for promoting ICE during ongoing LA immigration raids.
- Rep. Gray defended immigrants’ roles in the Valley and denounced aggressive ICE tactics.
Two Central Valley democrats voted on Monday for a House resolution intended to condemn antisemitism, which included language expressing gratitude for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and encouraged open communication between local law enforcement and federal agencies.
The vote was criticized by progressives online for aligning with the Trump administration’s recent immigration enforcement tactics.
The resolution was proposed as a response to the attack in Boulder, Colorado on June 1, where a suspect threw Molotov cocktails at pro-Israeli protesters, injuring 15 people and a dog.
Criticism for the vote did not come for the section decrying the early June violence, but for two sections of the resolutions that read in part that the House of Representatives:
“(2) affirms that free and open communication between State and local law enforcement and their Federal counterparts remains the bedrock of public safety and is necessary in preventing terrorist attacks; and
(3) expresses gratitude to law enforcement officers, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for protecting the homeland.”
Following the vote, and a Newsweek article, lists of democrats who voted for the bill, which included Reps. Adam Gray and Josh Harder, began to surface online.
A Bluesky user with the handle @wmn4srvl referred to the vote as thanking ICE for masked kidnappings, adding “This includes CA reps David Min, Miguel Ruiz, Adam Gray and Josh Harder. Thanks for nothing traitors.”
One poster who is an education advocate named @trekkerteach12 on X said “These are the @CA_Dem congressional representatives who voted to thank ICE for terrorizing our communities and violently kidnapping their constituents.”
She also added that they would keep this vote in mind when considering California Teacher Association endorsements.
The resolution passed Monday evening with the votes of nine California Democrats as protests against recent ICE raids in Los Angeles were well underway and as immigration enforcement efforts continued to expand.
In an example of rising tensions, on Thursday afternoon, Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif. was forcibly removed from a Department of Homeland Security press conference in Los Angeles after speaking up as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said ICE and the military would increase operations in the city to “liberate this city from the socialist and burdensome leadership that this governor and mayor have placed on this country.”
Gray responded to questions about how he voted on Monday with a statement:
“There are absolutely ways to improve our broken immigration system — but terrorizing families and workers in the Valley and across the country isn’t one of them. For generations, immigrants have been the backbone of the Valley. They are our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends. ICE raids carried out with seemingly no real purpose but to cause fear and send people into hiding do nothing to actually fix what’s wrong with our country’s immigration system. The overwhelming majority of undocumented immigrants in the Valley are here to live peacefully, work hard, provide for their families and follow the law. They should be allowed to do so.”
California’s SB 54, also known as the California Values Act, limits local law enforcement coordination with ICE except in specific circumstances.
Harder largely represents the areas of Stockton and Tracy after redistricting in 2020, but previously represented a large portion of Stanislaus County. He did not respond in time for publication.
Republican Representative Tom McClintock, who also voted for the resolution, refused The Bee’s request for comment.
This story was originally published June 12, 2025 at 3:55 PM.
