Washington DC - Vice President JD Vance accused those protesting against ICE's assaults on immigrant communities in the US of promoting an infamous antisemitic conspiracy theory.

"I think in a lot of ways the Democrats and the media, because they so hate the idea of a real border, are engaging in a kind of blood libel against ICE agents," Vance told Fox News host Laura Ingraham in an interview aired Thursday, a day after a gunman opened fire on an ICE detention facility in Dallas.

"They're accusing them of engaging in crimes, they're accusing them of being part of the Gestapo, they're actually inciting violence against our law enforcement," he continued, a day

"They know exactly what they're doing, and now it's time to stop."

The notorious "blood libel" is an antisemitic trope that goes back to Medieval times, when Jewish communities were baselessly accused of murdering Christians and using their blood for religious ceremonies. This sometimes led to deadly pogroms and deadly attacks on Jews.

During the 2024 presidential campaign, Vance was instrumental in spreading racist and unfounded rumors about immigrants, while President Donald Trump repeatedly blamed immigration for "poisoning the blood of our country."

The rhetoric has turned to action since Trump's inauguration, with masked ICE agents terrorizing immigrant and non-immigrant communities alike through violent raids and deportations without due process.

Vance, meanwhile, has promised to wage war on the political left in the US after the murder of far-right commentator Charlie Kirk.