LANSING, MI -- The Michigan Republican Party headquarters in Lansing was vandalized twice in the last week with graffiti critical of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Several messages were found spray painted on the state party’s property three days after Republican officials discovered “F*** ICE” spray painted on the side of its building. This time, the perpetrator specifically named named Michigan Republican Party Chair Laura Cox, who worked as a Detroit ICE agent for 13 years before entering politics.

New graffiti included “F**k Cox”, and “F**K ICE," as well as a symbol representing anarchy. In a press release, Cox called the vandalism an attack on free speech and an attempt to “silence American voices through intimidation.”

Both incidents appear to be inspired by deportation raids announced by President Donald Trump before the previous weekend. Trump threatened to unleash “big deportation” in two weeks if Democrats in Congress don’t agree to changes in asylum law.

“Like children who don’t get their way, these criminals seek to bully those they disagree with, rather than engage in a civil discussion," Cox said in a statement. “These radical thugs choose to intimidate through graffiti and anonymous nighttime attacks, rather than contest their ideas in the press, in the public square and in the polling places."

Cox said Trump is defending the country’s right to secure its borders.

“In the face of these cowardly acts, I know the citizens of Michigan will defend the right to free speech, and defend those men and women who protect us along the borders of our great nation like my former colleagues in ICE,” she said.

Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lavora Barnes denounced the acts of vandalism. She said there is plenty of cause for anger when it comes to “the man-made humanitarian crisis” at the southern border, but there are better ways to express it.

“We encourage anyone who opposes the Trump administration’s policies to make their voices heard, but that does not include in any form or fashion actions that involve vandalism, destruction of property, or intimidation,” Barnes said. “Such actions are not only wrong, but they are also flat-out stupid and counterproductive no matter what side you are on.”

Republican Party officials reported the weekend incident to police, said Michigan Republican Party Communications Director Tony Zammit.

Cameras captured a person vandalizing the building in the early hours between Friday night and Saturday morning, but Zammit said police can’t identify a suspect based on the footage alone. Police are seeking additional information from the public, he said.

Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel criticized the “senseless” weekend incident on Twitter. McDaniel formerly led the Michigan GOP.

Barnes said Trump is purposely creating “fear and chaos” through his family separation policy.

Acting head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection John Sanders offered his resignation to the president Tuesday while facing public uproar over the discovery of migrant children being held in filthy conditions at one of the agency’s stations in Texas. The Associated Press reported Sanders did not give a reason for leaving.

The Washington Post reported that Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco were expected to be targeted in immigration raids starting Sunday. Activists in Detroit braced for ICE agents to sweep their city this weekend, The Detroit News reported.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a strongly-worded statement condemning the “heartless” raids planned to begin on Sunday. Pelosi said they would rip families apart and terrorize communities.

“Families belong together,” Pelosi said. “These families are hard-working members of our communities and our country. The president’s action makes no distinction between a status violation and committing a serious crime."

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, joined several House Democrats in calling for ICE to be abolished during the weekend.

Tlaib and U.S. Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y, Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Ayanna Pressley, D-MA, said the “radicalized, criminal agencies are destroying families and killing innocent children.”

Six children have died since September after being detained by border agents, the AP reported.

“The Trump Administration would rather criminalize immigrants, separate families, and detain refugees than practice empathy and compassion," a joint statement read. “Recent reports of a massive deportation operation, targeting thousands of immigrant families in major cities across the country are further evidence that this President will stop at nothing in order to carry out his hateful agenda.”

The House Democrats expressed opposition to an emergency border supplemental bill that will provide $1.2 billion in additional funding to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and $128 million to ICE.

Michigan Republican Party offices were also vandalized in November 2018, tagged with a statement reading “We will not be erased.”

The party’s Garfield Township office near Traverse City was temporarily shut down in 2018 after a man allegedly made a statement about bombing it.

This story was updated on June 25 with additional comment from the Michigan Democratic Party.