The windows of the Nebraska Republican Party’s office in Lincoln were smashed and the phrase “ABOLISH ICE” spray-painted on the sidewalk in front of the building, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
Vandals threw bricks through the building’s windows, located three blocks from the state Capitol. The damage is estimated to total about $1,200.
The vandalism was discovered by a newspaper carrier at about 3 a.m. on Tuesday, who called law enforcement.
While they vandalize, we organize. @GOP #LeadRight
— NEGOP (@NEGOP) July 3, 2018
Find your #Nebraska candidates and volunteer >> https://t.co/0KY3Q6tsZr#NESEN #NEGov #NE02 #NELEG pic.twitter.com/MVF8EPlly2
Vandals broke a window of the Nebraska GOP Headquarters and spray-painted “Abolish ICE” on the sidewalk. The GOP is holding a press conference at 11 to talk about the incident. @1011_News pic.twitter.com/UFhhIj8H1b
— Mackenzie Huck 10/11 NOW (@MackenzieHuck) July 3, 2018
The Nebraska GOP's executive director, Kenny Zoeller, told the AP that the office is often threatened with violence and that the threats have increased since President Trump
Donald John TrumpPoll: Democrat McCaskill leads Republican Hawley by 3 points in Missouri Senate race Pence cancels trip to Georgia after Hurricane Florence path changes Trump's school safety commission will not support age limits for gun purchases: report MORE took office last year.
“I really wish I could tell you I’m surprised by this, but I’m not,” Zoeller said.
The Nebraska Democratic Party condemned the vandalism in a statement, saying that “workplaces and homes are meant to be safe places where we pursue our goals and dreams," the AP reported.
“We understand how frightening it is right now to be working in politics where people are resorting to violence, racism and other divisive rhetoric,” Nebraska Democratic Party Chairwoman Jane Kleeb said in the statement.
Democratic lawmakers and officials have stepped up calls to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in recent weeks, after the Trump administration separated immigrant families at the border.
Trump signed an executive order last month to end the family separation policy, but the administration has promised to continue prosecuting all undocumented immigrants apprehended at the border under its "zero tolerance" immigration policy.
