NYT & Media Defend Police Amid ICE Abuse Claims – Fact Check

Media Narrative Shifts Blame for Harris’ 2024 Loss, Downplays DHS Abuses

A growing consensus within elite media circles attributes Vice President Kamala Harris’ 2024 election loss to progressive language surrounding calls to “defund” and “abolish” institutions like ICE and police departments. This narrative, however, is being challenged by critics who argue it ignores historical context and serves to deflect attention from the actions of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and a broader pattern of abuses.

According to reporting from Adam Johnson at The Real News Network, the claim that “defund” and “abolish” rhetoric significantly impacted the 2024 election lacks empirical evidence. Johnson points out that Democrats actually overperformed in the 2018 primaries during the height of the “abolish ICE” movement, and that the wave of activism following George Floyd’s death arguably *helped* Joe Biden secure the White House in 2020. Despite this, the narrative persists, pushed by groups like Searchlight Institute, Third Way, and influential liberal pundits.

This narrative conveniently frames Harris’ loss not as a result of factors like a perceived reluctance to fully distance herself from President Biden, a shift towards the center that may have alienated progressive voters, or her stance on the conflict in Gaza, but rather as a consequence of brand association with controversial slogans. The current push to reframe the narrative coincides with growing public anger over abuses committed by DHS, and appears to be an attempt to contain that anger by framing such abuses as isolated incidents.

A key element of this effort involves portraying local police departments as paragons of progressive policing, contrasting them favorably with the actions of ICE and CBP. However, Johnson reports this portrayal is demonstrably false, citing evidence that local police departments continue to collaborate with ICE, sharing data and even participating in crackdowns on protestors demonstrating against DHS violence.

The New York Times has been particularly aggressive in promoting this narrative, publishing three articles in January and February 2026 focused on the perceived tension between local police departments and DHS. These articles, including a podcast episode and two news reports, assert – without providing supporting evidence – that DHS actions are undermining “years of hard-won progress” and eroding “trust” built through police reforms following the murder of George Floyd. Specifically, the Times published: ‘A Breaking Point’: The Minneapolis Police Chief on ICE (January 12, 2026), ‘It’s All Just Going Down the Toilet’: Police Chiefs Fume at ICE Tactics (January 30, 2026), and Federal Crackdown Means Another Repair Job for the Minneapolis Police Chief (February 4, 2026).

Johnson highlights a significant contradiction in the Times’ reporting. While the articles imply improvements in civilian killings by US police forces due to post-2020 reforms, data from the Police Violence Report actually shows an *increase* in police killings of civilians. The number rose from 1,098 in 2019 and 1,148 in 2020 to 1,271 in 2024 – the highest on record – and 1,201 in 2025. The Times’ claim that “lessons” were learned, appears unsubstantiated.

The Atlantic magazine also joined the narrative, publishing an article titled “Police and ICE Agents Are on a Collision Course.” This piece broadly promotes the idea of a rift between Minneapolis PD and DHS, while simultaneously suggesting that meaningful reforms have been implemented since 2020. The Houston Chronicle, the Minnesota Star Tribune, and the Washington Post have published similar articles, all echoing the Times’ central thesis of “hard-earned reforms” being threatened by DHS’s actions.

The core of the issue, Johnson argues, is a lack of objective evidence supporting claims of improved police-community relations. He notes that public perception of policing has remained largely unchanged since the George Floyd protests, with Gallup poll numbers from 2024 showing little significant shift. The narrative relies heavily on statements from police departments themselves, presented as fact by media outlets without independent verification.

Despite the tensions, local police departments continue to assist ICE, arresting anti-ICE protestors, defending federal buildings, and deploying tear gas against demonstrators. Police chiefs, acutely aware of public perception, are motivated to present themselves as progressive and responsible, a dynamic that the media appears to be readily accepting without critical scrutiny. The question remains, Johnson concludes, why media outlets are so willing to uncritically echo these self-serving narratives without empirical justification.