Democratic Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost lit a political powder keg this week by openly calling for full amnesty for every illegal immigrant in the United States—while likening immigration enforcement agents to history’s worst criminals.
Standing before reporters in central Florida, Frost declared, “Being undocumented in this country is not a crime,” before proposing what he calls a fix: “Let’s document every single one of them.” His plan would offer a blanket pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million-plus illegal immigrants currently in the country. That number, drawn from Pew Research’s 2022 data, is likely far higher today after record-breaking border surges during the Biden years.
The freshman Democrat, already notorious for past appearances alongside a suspected MS-13 gang member in El Salvador, doubled down on his radical stance during the press event. He not only announced legislation to restrict ICE transparency but also directly attacked federal agents tasked with enforcing immigration laws.
“If you have any decency, quit now,” Frost said of ICE agents, accusing them of participating in actions akin to “the worst horrors and crimes against humanity.” He didn’t mince words—accusing the agency’s work of amounting to “terrorism in our communities.”
The move drew immediate and fierce backlash. The National Republican Congressional Committee slammed Frost, saying he exposed the Democratic Party’s real immigration agenda. “Democrats don’t want secure borders,” said NRCC spokesperson Mike Marinella. “They want to fundamentally transform our country with mass amnesty.”
Polling suggests Frost may be wildly out of step with American voters. A recent Democrat-aligned survey found that fewer than 20% of likely voters in swing districts approve of the Democratic Party’s immigration handling—a disastrous 58-point net negative.
Frost’s remarks could deepen the party’s electoral headaches just months before the 2025 midterms. And he’s far from alone. Fellow House leftists like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have renewed calls to abolish ICE entirely. Rep. Becca Balint of Vermont echoed similar rhetoric recently, bizarrely claiming that without illegal migrant labor “we’re not going to have anybody around to wipe our asses.”
These comments come as other Democrats try to distance themselves from the open-borders image. Senator Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), positioning herself as a moderate, stated in May that illegal immigrants who commit crimes “should return home”—a sharp contrast with Frost’s free-for-all proposal.
Still, Frost has only intensified his language, going so far as to say that merely following orders isn’t a moral excuse—rhetoric many found deeply offensive when applied to law enforcement personnel doing their jobs. Critics argue his comparisons are not only historically ignorant but intentionally inflammatory.
Adding insult to injury for many voters, Frost’s new bill would place fresh burdens on ICE by requiring public disclosures about detainees—effectively targeting the very agency responsible for executing President Trump’s renewed deportation agenda.
As Trump ramps up removals and regains momentum on border security, Democrats like Frost appear determined to charge in the opposite direction. The political fallout could be steep—especially in red-leaning districts where border chaos has become a top issue.
The stage is now set for a bitter clash over immigration heading into the election cycle. And if recent polling is any indication, Democrats embracing extreme positions like Frost’s may soon find themselves in the political wilderness.
