Utah Senator Mike Lee, a Republican, has removed a social media post in which he appeared to draw parallels between ICE agents and members of Mexican cartels.

Since the Mexican army took down Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as ‘El Mencho,’ leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, chaos has engulfed Mexico.

In a post on X, Lee remarked, “Cartel hitmen wear masks. Leftists aren’t complaining,” while sharing an image of cartel operatives at a gas station.

The post drew swift backlash from his Democratic peers in the Senate, who criticized it as a glaring inconsistency.

Both parties on Capitol Hill have scrutinized former President Donald Trump’s ICE operations, particularly following the recent incident involving Border Patrol agents and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, countered Lee’s post by stating, “Yes, cartel hitmen wear masks. That’s precisely why ICE shouldn’t.”

‘Oh dear Mike,’ Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy wrote, adding, ‘I literally couldn’t make our argument better than you do. The bad guys wear masks. The good guys don’t.’

Hawaii Democrat Brian Schatz also chimed in, pointing out that other law enforcement agencies do not wear masks while ICE does.

Utah Republican Mike Lee speaks to reporters in 2022 in Salt Lake City

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, responded to Lee, ‘Yes. Cartel hitmen wear masks. That’s why ICE shouldn’t’

View of a burning bus set on fire by organised crime groups in response to an operation in Jalisco to arrest a high-priority security target, at one of the main avenues in Zapopan, state of Jalisco, Mexico, on February 22, 2026

‘Mike, I would like ICE to have the same standards as a local police department, not cartel hitmen,’ Schatz wrote. 

ICE agents wearing masks is a key sticking point in the current round of debates about Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding, which has now lapsed for a third time in six months.

Schumer has rolled out a list of things needed to secure a vote for DHS funding from members of his caucus, which included a request to ‘end roving patrols,’ ‘masks off, body cameras on,’ and a need to ‘tighten the rules governing the use of warrants and require ICE coordination with state and local law enforcement.’ 

Spending bills require 60 votes, meaning Republicans — who hold just 53 Senate seats — need Democratic support even if their entire caucus backs House-passed measures. 

 Hawaii Democrat Brian Schatz also pointed out Lee’s hypocrisy 

Connecticut Democrat Chris Murphy chided his GOP collegue 

An ICE agent holding a taser points at a woman holding a phone after one of their vehicles got a flat tire on Penn Avenue on February 5, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota

People gather at a memorial for Alex Pretti who was shot and killed by an ICE agent last month on February 12, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota

 Seven Democratic senators previously sided with Republicans in November to end the shutdown: Catherine Cortez Masto, Dick Durbin, John Fetterman, Maggie Hassan, Tim Kaine, Jacky Rosen, and Jeanne Shaheen. Independent Angus King of Maine, who caucuses with Democrats, joined them.

Fetterman in particular has been toeing a fine line, both defending the work of ICE agents ‘deporting criminal migrants in our country’, while also calling for Noem to be ousted and for the agency to come under ‘new leadership.’ 

Senator Lee’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Mail.