A new acronym for liberal white women is gaining traction online, and the New York Times does not appear to be happy about it.

The paper published a lengthy piece Friday about the acronym AWFUL, which stands for Affluent White Female Urban Liberal. Conservative commentators have used the term to describe liberal women protesting immigration enforcement in Minneapolis following the fatal shooting of activist Renee Good by an ICE agent on January 7.

The NY Times even contacted the Department of Homeland Security about its growing popularity. (RELATED: Minnesota Democrat Live-Tweets ICE Agent Locations, Teaches Constituents How To Spot Unmarked Vehicles)

DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin was unmoved. “I’m more concerned with facts on the ground than I am about acronyms,” McLaughlin told the paper.

An AWFUL (Affluent White Female Urban Liberal) is dead after running her car into an ICE agent who opened fire on her. Progressive whites are turning violent. ICE agents have the right to defend themselves. https://t.co/ZwYURFINKI

— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) January 7, 2026

The NY Times reported that conservative commentator Erik Erickson posted on social media that “an AWFUL (Affluent White Female Urban Liberal) is dead after running her car into an ICE agent who opened fire on her.” Orlando radio host Pierce Outlaw called such women “the scourge of polite society.”

The paper leaned on academics to explain conservative criticism of affluent white liberal women. Rutgers political scientist Dr. Shauna Shames told the NY Times the term stems from anxieties about race, gender and immigration among Trump’s base.

The NY Times recently published opinion columns comparing ICE to a “secret police” and accusing the agency of waging war on Democratic cities.

Good had joined ICE Watch, a network of activists who track and disrupt immigration enforcement, the Daily Signal reported. The group promotes “de-arrest” tactics that instruct activists to physically free people from law enforcement custody. Training materials describe each de-arrest as a “micro-intifada.”

College-educated white women backed Harris by a 17-point margin, up from Biden’s nine-point margin in 2020, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.