New York Democrat denies protesters accosted Border Patrol agents — even as her videos show confrontations

A crowd of protesters surrounded and accosted U.S. Border Patrol agents while they conducted an operation in Rochester, New York, on Tuesday. One Democrat who was present for the incident denied the severity of the situation when asked by Blaze News.

Videos posted on X by Monroe County Legislator Rachel Barnhart (D) show the crowd yelling for the federal agents to leave while they waited for two men on a roof to come down. According to Barnhart, most of the agents eventually left the scene, but someone in the crowd slashed a tire on a Border Patrol SUV.

The Department of Homeland Security has said assaults on federal agents conducting immigration enforcement operations have increased over 1,000%.

“The collective action worked,” Barnhart said about the mob showing up during the operation. “Immigration activists and regular neighbors came out as well. Probably 200 people here to bear witness and let ICE know they’re not welcome in Rochester.”

While Barnhart said she disagreed with the attack on the federal vehicle, she said preventing the arrest of the men on the roof was more important.

“Not one protester was arrested. Pastors, politicians, labor leaders, neighbors & activists made their values clear. Worrying about tires more than human beings says more about you than us,” she continued.

When reached for comment on the crowd-accosting agents, Barnhart told Blaze News, “I don’t think I can help you because I didn’t see anyone accost agents yesterday. There were no interactions I observed other than protesters yelling at them as they left the scene.”

Merriam-Webster defines “accost” as “to approach and speak to (someone) in an often challenging or aggressive way.”

RELATED: Tom Homan torches Massachusetts Democrats on MSNBC for protecting illegal aliens

Photo by Adam Gray/Getty Images

Another protester told WHAM her reason for showing up to the scene was to prevent the arrest of illegal aliens.

“They’re here putting on a roof, trying to make a dollar and paying taxes on that dollar, and ICE was here bothering them. So I came to bother ICE,” Ruth Reeves said. “City by city, state by state, we have to stand up, and we have to fight, and we have to tell them we’re not standing for this anymore.”

The Department of Homeland Security has said assaults on federal agents conducting immigration enforcement operations have increased over 1,000% since President Donald Trump took office. While acknowledging the challenging environment agents are now facing, DHS has made it clear enforcement operations will not only continue but increase with its bigger budget going into effect in October at the start of the new fiscal year.

DHS has launched several enhanced operations in sanctuary cities and states across the country because Democrats refuse to cooperate with the federal government.

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