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Ben Ferguson
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Ben Ferguson
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Political Commentator
In 2024, the UN budgeted $372 million in cash assistance to support an estimated 624,000 dol journeying into the United States. Think of that. The UN is supporting people that are illegally coming into the United States and then we have to get them out. The UN Also provided food, shelter, transportation and debit cards.
Ben Ferguson
You're listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson.
Good Thursday morning. Nice to have you with us on the 47 Morning Update. And there's one major story we're covering today, and that is the demonizing of ICE agents is now causing more attacks, this time the second time we've seen attacks on ICE facilities in Dallas alone. So what are Democrats saying in response? They're blaming ICE for doing their jobs. And Democrats continue to demonize, even hours before the attack, federal immigration law enforcement officers. All right, I want to take a moment and I want to talk to you real quick about what you can do to help the people in Israel. It was nearly two years ago that the terrorists murdered more than 1200 innocent Israelis and they took 250, 50 hostages. Today, it seems as if the cries of the dead and dying have been drowned out by the shouts of anti Semitism and just pure hatred, not just in America, but around the world. And the most brutal attack on Jewish people happened. It happened since the Holocaust. And now it's like they're trying to act like it never happened. Now this is where it is important for us to stand with the people in Israel. It's a movement of love and support for the people of Israel. And this is where I want you to get involved. It is called Flags of Fellowship. It's being organized by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. And on October 5th, you can stand with Israel and the victims proudly, just a few weeks away. Millions across America will prayerfully plant an Israeli flag in honor and solidarity with the victims of October 7, 2020, 23, and stand with their grieving families. You can be a part of this movement as well. And that's what I love about what IFCJ does. They're making sure that the world knows there are there are lots of people of faith in this country and friends and advocates for Israel. They're going to stand with them. You can get more information about how you can join the Flags of Fellowship movement, including your church. There are going to be countless churches around the country. They're going to plant flags as well. All you have to do to get involved with Flags of Fellowship movement is go to ifcj.org that's ifcj.org stand with Israel on October 5th. It's just a few weeks away. And if your church you think would want to be involved, you can also find out more about how to get your church to be involved on a special Sunday@ifcj.org that's ifcj.org it's the 47 Morning Update, and it starts right now.
Story number one.
On Wednesday, a gunman opened fire on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement ICE facility in Dallas, Texas, leaving one migrant detainee dead and two others in critical condition. The Federal Bureau of Investigations, the FBI director Caspitel, has also revealed that at least one of the shell casings from the gunman's bullet was etched with anti ICE messaging indicating a left wing ideological motive for the attack. For months in the lead up to the attack on the Dallas ICE facility, Democrats have continuously made statements demonizing ICE agents, doxing ICE agents and also going after the agency's acting director, Todd Lyons. Todd Lyons has publicly asked him to halt the rhetoric for fear of a targeted attack, just like the one we witnessed on Wednesday. Now, there are eight different occasions when Democrats could have chosen the high road. But clearly in a coordinated effort are continuing to go after ICE agents for enforcing federal immigration law. Gavin Newsom, for example, claims ICE agents will help suppress voter turnout. In fact, just eight hours before the attack in Dallas, he was demonizing ICE agents on national tv. And here's what he had to say.
Political Commentator
That's happening in the United States of America. Masked men jumping out of unmarked cars, people disappearing, no due process, no oversight, zero accountability happening in the United States of America today. People ask, well, is authoritarianism. You're being hyperbolic. Bull. We're being hyperbolic. If you're a black and brown community, it's here in this country. And so I, I'm deep proud that I had the privilege of signing the nation's first bill to address the issue of masking. Also to require you have simple identification. To your point, I mean, if some guy jumped out of an unmarked car in a van with a mask on, tried to grab me, I mean, by definition, you're going to push back. And so this, these, these are not just authoritarian tendencies. These are authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government. You saw what Stephen Miller said last week. This should put chills up. Fine. Called the Democratic Party an extremist organization, basically a terrorist organization, saying he's going after his enemies. You saw the tweet that Donald Trump sent Out truth social. Basically telling Pam Bondi, I want these three people taken out. That's happening in the United States.
Ben Ferguson
That was eight hours, eight hours before the attack on on ICE agents in Dallas. Gavin Newsom said people need to push back on ICE agents because they're the result of an authoritarian government. And this morning, a sniper shot up an ICE facility, killing innocent, by the way, immigrants, to be very clear. But that's not the only time Gavin Newsom has been saying this. Last month, during a podcast episode, the California governor made the unprecedented claim that that ICE agents may be used by President Donald Trump's in next year's midterm election to help suppress voter turnout. Quote, trump's already sending out mass people to intimidate folks. When we launched our campaign, did it down in Little Tokyo and la. Do you think ICE is not going to show up around voting and polling boost to chill participation? And you know that the National Guard, you know that that's what he went on to say. Yes. This is the insanity of the left advocating for exactly what is happening today and having people get angry. Jasmine Crockett, the representative from Texas, made inflammatory suggestions that ICE agents are akin to slave patrols during an interview with MSNBC just last week. Here's her in her own words.
Jasmine Crockett
But they're doing right now, it almost feels like, you know, I've seen the memes about the purge and all these things, but as somebody who understands history, when I see, I see slave patrols now, I never lived through the slave patrol period, but if you know the history of policing in this country, then you understand that they were born out of slave patrols. And now with the Supreme Court saying this, it's almost like you can just go grab them up. That is what they're saying. And that is a problem. We all should have a problem with that. But when you don't want to teach American history, that includes black history, then you lose out on the benefit of understanding that we have been down this road before and it was not good and we fixed it once. And it is a shame that we are re litigating this and we are going to have to fix it again.
Ben Ferguson
So let's just be very clear. Jasmine Crockett refers to ICE agents grabbing illegal immigrants, many of them that have committed heinous crimes as slave patrols. And you wonder why we are now witnessing what we are witnessing right now with the violence against ICE agents. The Boston mayor, Michelle Wu, she said this about ICE agents.
I don't know of any police department that routinely wears masks. We know that There are other groups that routinely wear masks. NSC131 routinely wears masks.
Cynthia Littleton
Mayor, just to clarify, are you comparing ICE, you said, to NSC 131, Neo Nazi group.
Ben Ferguson
Are you comparing them to a neo Nazi group? What I said is that Boston police and no police department that I know of at the local level routinely wears masks.
Boston Mayor comparing ICE agents to neo Nazis. Tim Waltz saying this at a graduation ceremony about Department of Homeland Security and ice.
Political Commentator
Capo is scooping folks up off the streets. They're in unmarked vans wearing masks, being shipped off to foreign torture dungeons. No chance to mount a defense, not even a chance to kiss a loved one goodbye. Just grabbed up by masked agents, shoved into those vans and disappeared. To be clear, there's no way for us to know whether they were actually criminals or not because they refused to give them a trial. We're supposed to just take their word for it.
Ben Ferguson
That is the man who was the vice presidential candidate and a governor of a state saying that ICE agents are the Gestapo. So you look at all of that, and then you go back to what happened in Dallas. I want you to listen closely to what the acting director of the Dallas ICE field office had to say today about this being the second time it's happened in his jurisdiction. This is the second time I've had.
Political Commentator
To stand in front of you and talk about a shooter.
Ben Ferguson
At one of my facilities.
Political Commentator
And I think that the takeaway from all of this is that the rhetoric has to stop. There are people out there who are seeing what is being placed online, and they're coming in, they're doing acts of violence against ICE employees. It's dangerous. And people are losing their lives.
Ben Ferguson
People are losing their lives. But what are the Democrats saying? Not even close to that. They're now blaming ICE for being divisive. Yes. Msnbc. As people have been shot and there are people that are clinging for their lives. And after we are seeing this happen on msnbc, one of their correspondents said today, quote, it's very early to know the motive of the ICE facility shooter, even though we knew it was written on the bullet casings. And then they went on to blame ice. We have also seen the very dramatic videos of ICE nabbing individuals, they said, and tossing them into unmarked vehicles, justifying the violence. Senator Ted Cruz also coming out talking about how this must stop. Here's what he said.
Political Commentator
This needs to stop. Violence is wrong. Politically motivated violence is wrong. It was two weeks ago today that we saw a political assassination in Utah that tore the heart out of much of this country. This is the third shooting in Texas directed at ICE or cbp. This must stop. To every politician who is using rhetoric, demonizing ICE and demonizing cbb, stop. To every politician demanding that ICE agents be doxed and calling for people to go after their families. Stop. This has very real consequences. Look, in America, we disagree. That's fine. That's the democratic process. But your political opponents are not Nazis. We need to learn to work together without demonizing each other, without attacking each other. And I want to see. Say thank you. I want to say thank you to the brave men and women of law enforcement. I want to say thank you to the brave men and women of ICE and CBP and everyone who puts their lives on the line to keep us safe. The divisive rhetoric tragically has real consequences. I hope that every one of us will. I hope that every one of us will pray, number one, for the safety of law enforcement, enforcement that are risking their lives to keep us safe. Number two, for the health of those who were shot and injured today. We still don't know the full details of who was injured, but for the families also of the victims of this shooting, violence has no place. It is wrong. And we should come together. If we want to have a debate about immigration policies, we can do so in the halls of Congress without demonizing each other, and especially without demonizing the men and women who every day put on a badge and go risk their lives to keep us safe. And we should not be putting language out there that. That. That inspires mad men to commit evil crimes. Our prayers are with the men and women of law enforcement, and we ought to come together and have some decency across the political aisles to say this violence is wrong and it needs to stop.
Ben Ferguson
So will there be that type of decency? Well, moments later on msnbc, this is what they said.
Entertainment Industry Analyst
Targets.
Ben Ferguson
What about the politically motivated side of this? This is now the fourth shooting that we've seen in just a little bit over a year where the suspect has allegedly written on the casing, casings of bullets some sort of politically motivated message.
Political Commentator
Yeah.
Entertainment Industry Analyst
So, I mean, terrorism is. Is theater. It's intended to influence an audience beyond its immediate victims. It's. It's putting a message out. And terrorism falls into real, really, three categories. It's either religiously motivated, ideologically motivated, or in this case, politically motivated. And the politically motivated ones. It doesn't happen in a vacuum. It happens because conditions have been set that people start acting out against what are the conditions. So, you know, distrust institutions that's been building for quite some time. Attacks on institutions, the wealth gap, oppressive policies. At least this is what people perceive. And then the militarization of ICE and other federal law enforcement, the wearing of the mask, aggressive tactics. So the people who are starting to act out against this feel it's their only recourse. And this is predictable. We see this happening throughout our history and in other places as well. So, you know, we can tone down the rhetoric and that that's the right message. But you also have to start looking at what policies you've implemented, what tactics you're using. Because if you tone down the rhetoric, but you leave those other pieces in place, nothing's going to change.
Jasmine Crockett
So I wonder, though, I mean, this.
Ben Ferguson
Is, this is incredible. ICE needs to change their policies, meaning don't actually enforce the laws. Go back to what was happening before and allow so many radicals to come into this country. Those that are selling fentanyl, killing Americans, those that are sex trafficking children and abusing children, those that are committing murders and violent crimes and rape. No, they're saying, go back to the Biden policies or there will be more violence against ICE agents. J.D. vance, the Vice President, United States of America, summed it up perfectly when he said this.
Political Commentator
You don't have to agree with my immigration policies. You don't have to agree with Donald Trump's immigration policies. But if your political rhetoric encourages violence against our law enforcement, you can go straight to hell. And you have no place in the political conversation of the United States of America. When Democratic politicians incur doxing, when they encourage us to unmask ICE enforcement officers, what do you think is going to happen? Political violence has gotten out of control in this country. We got to stop it. We got to condemn it. And that starts, unfortunately, at the very top of the Democratic Party party.
Ben Ferguson
Amen to that. J.D. vance, if your political rhetoric encourages violence against our law enforcement, you can go straight to hell.
Thank you for listening to the 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson. Please make sure you hit subscribe wherever you're listening to this podcast right now. And for more in depth news, also subscribe to the Ben Ferguson Podcast and we will see you back here tomorrow.
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Cynthia Littleton
Going on in Hollywood. How are you supposed to stay on top of it all? Variety has the solution. Take 20 minutes out of your day and listen to the new Daily Variety podcast for breaking entertainment news and expert perspectives.
Entertainment Industry Analyst
Where do you see the business actually heading?
Cynthia Littleton
Featuring the iconic journalists of Variety and hosted by co Editor in Chief Cynthia Littleton.
Ben Ferguson
The only constant in Hollywood is change.
Cynthia Littleton
Open your free iHeartradio app, search daily Variety and listen now.
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Podcast: Verdict with Ted Cruz
Host: Ben Ferguson
Date: September 25, 2025
Episode Description: Senator Ted Cruz and co-host Ben Ferguson analyze breaking news around an attack at a Dallas ICE facility, while critiquing Democratic rhetoric around immigration enforcement and its alleged consequences.
This episode centers on a recent shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas, Texas, where a gunman—motivated by anti-ICE rhetoric—killed one migrant detainee and injured two others. The hosts, Ben Ferguson (with contributions from Senator Ted Cruz), argue that rhetoric from prominent Democrats demonizing ICE and likening them to authoritarian forces or even Nazi groups has fueled real-world violence against law enforcement. They discuss various statements by Democratic politicians, reactions from right-leaning figures, and the broader climate of political polarization over immigration enforcement.
"Masked men jumping out of unmarked cars, people disappearing, no due process, no oversight, zero accountability...these are not just authoritarian tendencies. These are authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government." [07:27]
"When I see, I see slave patrols now...if you know the history of policing in this country, then you understand that they were born out of slave patrols." [10:01]
"The takeaway from all of this is that the rhetoric has to stop. There are people out there who are seeing what is being placed online, and they're coming in, they're doing acts of violence against ICE employees. It's dangerous. And people are losing their lives." [13:01]
"To every politician who is using rhetoric, demonizing ICE and demonizing CBP, stop...Your political opponents are not Nazis. We need to learn to work together..." [14:13]
"If your political rhetoric encourages violence against our law enforcement, you can go straight to hell." [18:59]
"You're going to push back. And so these are not just authoritarian tendencies. These are authoritarian actions by an authoritarian government." [07:27]
"When I see, I see slave patrols now...if you know the history...then you understand that they were born out of slave patrols." [10:01]
"The rhetoric has to stop...and people are losing their lives." [13:01]
"Violence is wrong. Politically motivated violence is wrong...If we want to have a debate...we can do so in the halls of Congress without demonizing each other." [14:13]
"If your political rhetoric encourages violence against our law enforcement, you can go straight to hell." [18:59]
| Time | Segment/Discussion | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:18 | Opening: Introduction to the main story about ICE attack | | 06:01 | Detailed breakdown of Dallas shooting incident | | 07:27 | Gavin Newsom’s controversial statements on ICE | | 10:01 | Jasmine Crockett likens ICE to "slave patrols" | | 11:19 | Boston Mayor Michelle Wu draws parallel between ICE and neo-Nazis | | 11:59 | Tim Waltz (VP candidate) compares ICE agents to Gestapo | | 12:54 | Dallas ICE director calls for end to divisive rhetoric | | 14:13 | Ted Cruz responds; appeals for unity and less hostility | | 17:00 | Media guests discuss motivations and political violence context | | 18:59 | J.D. Vance’s forceful condemnation of violent rhetoric |
The episode features a direct, urgent, and highly critical tone—particularly toward Democratic leaders. Both Ferguson and Cruz employ strong language emphasizing their perspective that political rhetoric is fueling real-world dangers for law enforcement. Quotes are provided verbatim to reflect the speakers’ own phrasing.