A new Democrat-backed ad stirs controversy by dramatizing ICE crackdowns, aiming to sway young men for 2026.

Progress Action Fund Adopts Provocative Approach Ahead of Midterms

A newly released campaign ad from the Progress Action Fund, a political action committee supporting Democrats, is drawing national attention for its dramatic depiction of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) crackdowns. The ad, designed to resonate with young men, is part of a wider strategy to win back a demographic that swung toward President Donald Trump in the last election.

The viral campaign features a fictional “Republican congressman” intruding on a young couple’s date. In the ad, the woman is forcibly detained by masked agents, while the man protests that she is a citizen. The congressman responds, “I don’t care. She looks like one of them,” and suggests she will be imprisoned abroad. The spot concludes by referencing President Trump’s earlier White House meeting with the president of El Salvador and alludes to deportation policies targeting both non-citizens and “homegrown” offenders.

Progress Action Fund founder Joe Jacobson explained the ad’s intention, noting that it tests well with young men, a group Democrats are targeting for the 2026 elections. “After seeing the ad, young men under 30 were more likely to support Democrats by about four points,” Jacobson said, emphasizing the challenge Democrats face in crafting messages that resonate with this key voter bloc.

Immigration remains a divisive political issue. Jacobson argued that while both parties support deporting violent criminals, Democrats do not back mass removals of workers and families, accusing Trump of “weaponizing” the immigration debate. “He does not have a mandate for deporting people who are working at hotels, on farms, or auto shops,” Jacobson said.

Republican and White House Pushback

The ad was quickly condemned by Republicans and the White House. National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Mike Marinella called it “fear-mongering nonsense,” arguing that it would not sway young voters. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson similarly dismissed the campaign, saying, “This is clearly just a sad attempt to distract from the violent Democrat rioters in LA who want to keep criminal illegal aliens in American communities.”

Despite the criticism, Jacobson indicated that the group is investing heavily in the campaign, with a budget in the “mid-six-figure range.” The ad is set to roll out on social media and in targeted swing states and districts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Democrats continue to search for effective strategies to win back young men after recent losses in the demographic. With ongoing protests in major cities and immigration policies at the forefront of national debate, the new ad underscores both the challenges and the urgency in reaching a key segment of the electorate as the next election cycle approaches.