Student protests against ICE have been on the rise recently, and a right-wing political candidate from Florida says it’s time to put an end to them to “protect” children in schools. MAGA politician James Fishback recently spoke about a girl who was hit by a car during a protest in Palm Beach County, Florida, and urged schools to expel students who participate in these activities.
In a video shared online, Fishback is seen addressing an audience at a MAGA event. Referencing a recent incident in which a teenager was struck by a vehicle while protesting ICE, he asks the audience to “keep the young woman in their prayers.” However, he quickly pivots to argue that incidents like this one are the protesters’ fault, saying that authorities should “drop the iron hammer on ICE protests in our public schools.”
According to the MAGA politician, who also wants to be the Republican candidate for governor of Florida in 2026, the First Amendment “does not give a 16-year-old the right to be a delinquent, incorrigible student.” So, young protesters should either get back to class or be expelled.
This is far from the first time that Fishback has been controversial, though. Not only has he been ramping up the MAGA discourse lately, but he was also accused in 2022 of having an inappropriate romantic relationship with a 17-year-old girl. In 2025, he also admitted to sharing confidential information from Greenlight Capital, where he worked as a hedge fund manager.
Internet Reacts to James Fishback’s Reactionary Discourse About Florida’s Students
The reaction to James Fishback’s comments was largely negative in online spaces. A user described his speech as “the lamest thing I’ve seen all day,” while others pointed out that MAGA politicians are often heavily focused on controlling the behavior of teenagers: “these folks are obsessed with children.”
Something that enraged some users was how Fishback was seen as taking advantage of a real tragedy to promote his anti-freedom speech, even though he invoked the First Amendment during his presentation.
Others claimed that the whole speech was “all performative outrage and grifting.” In any case, Fishback will likely continue to make controversial statements and remain in the spotlight, especially given his intentions to become Florida’s governor.
