To Hell With ICE
Months ago, when Trump first began rolling out his mass deportation campaign, I intended to draw parallels between his approach and the rise of fascism in Italy and Germany. The similarities between Mussolini, Hitler, and Trump are so striking they would almost be comical — if they weren’t so dangerous. We're watching the repercussions unfold in real time, but they are spread across so many facets of society that it’s difficult to isolate one aspect without immediately colliding with another.
Take for example, Trump’s authoritarian purge of federal agencies, which overlaps directly with his foreign policy dealings. Qatar "gifted" him a multi million-dollar plane, and a few months later he signed an executive order extending NATO-like protections to the oil-rich nation. In any other era, an oversight body like the Government Accountability Office (GAO) would flag such a blatant bribe. But Dear Leader has left the GAO understaffed and underfunded-- just like nearly every other federal office, save for those he can weaponize against his enemies.
What I’ve chosen to focus on instead is the right wing’s rationalization and approval of not only the tactics ICE is employing against civilians, but also the decision to dismiss any need for accountability or legal authority. I most often see this play out on social media (shocker), among right-wing influencers and pundits, and–most concerning – within the White House itself. This may seem obvious, as we are constantly force– fed bits and bytes across our devices, but what I believe truly fuels this approval of ICE's behavior is the cyclical talking-point ecosystem cultivated by the Right. Trump declares, “We are going after violent illegals." Then, fucking KKKaroline Leavitt gets behind the podium to refine the message: “Violent illegals are terrorists – we are going to go after terrorists.” Soon after, the MAGA influencers start tweeting things like, “We are being invaded; we must act accordingly.” The cycle repeats—only now, it begins with Trump calling Portland a war zone, further raising the temperature.
I can’t further think of a better term for this reverse-laundry of propaganda than a sludge-cycle– so that’s what we’ll call it. This toxic dynamic has handed the Trump administration a double-edged sword: it desensitizes the public to ICE’s abuses while shifting the conversation from “Is this legal?” to “Who counts as a criminal or terrorist?” The result is a discourse warped beyond recognition, where legality and ethics are secondary to manufactured fear.
The most common argument I see online—and from the right—is that this is simply what they voted for, and that ICE is only going after “illegals.” That take is so fucking lazy and exhausting, especially because it’s so easily disproven. There are countless examples of ICE agents assaulting, targeting, and intimidating U.S citizens, local officials, and Democrats, among others. What frustrates me even more is wondering whether these people genuinely believe what they’re saying—or if they just need to believe it. Regardless, it’s a moral and civic failure as an American to not look at ICE’s actions and recognize them as wrong. No illegal search and seizure. No forced quartering of troops. Trial before a jury. These are fucking founding pillars of our nation-- and yet your cult-member relatives have somehow decided they can be discarded because Benny Johnson told them so. (I really don’t like that guy)
I'd like to say that MAGA supporters bend over backwards to defend their position, but honestly, I don’t think they put that much effort into it. Instead of understanding what due process actually means, they default to: "It doesn't apply to illegals or criminals.” Which, to anyone paying attention, is insane– because how the fuck do you even define someone as either of those things without due process? I scream into the void daily.
Another endlessly regurgitated talking point is that MAGA supporters “have no issue with immigrants who come here the right way–I even know some!” The so-called “right way” often means attending immigration court hearings where ICE agents literally wait in the hallways to make arrests. As if Dale, sitting comfortably behind his Facebook profile, has any idea how the immigration system actually works --or whether his token immigrant friend even exists.
Now, I am not here to defend the current or pre-Trump immigration system – we all know it is deeply flawed and in need of reform. But the faux moral high ground MAGA claims about "the right way" (the irony) needs to be called out for what it is: bullshit and racism. Under Stephen Miller 's direction, ICE is targeting people of color, regardless of immigration status, with near-total impunity.
And this disgusting underbelly is what drags us back toward fascism. All the debate, legal analysis, talking points, and justifications from the right ignore one undeniable fact: masked agents are using excessive force to detain anyone they suspect might be an “illegal,” “criminal,” or “terrorist”— all funded by our tax dollars and operating with almost no independent oversight. The mad king now effectively has his own secret police--his own Gestapo, SS, or brown shirts—who can detain whoever they like and attack nonviolent protestors and citizens without fear of consequence. Journalists have been shot with rubber bullets, senior citizens shoved to the ground, politicians arrested, and children zip-tied in raids – all while Stephen Miller’s racist ass drives the administration’s goal of mass deportation. If not fascist, why fascist shaped?
If nothing else, MAGA is defending a group of cowards masquerading as legitimate law enforcement. For starters, the vast majority of people being detained or deported by ICE are not violent criminals. As shown in hundreds of verified incidents caught on video, ICE agents are targeting people working as day laborers, detaining individuals at their workplaces, or arresting them in courthouses while they’re attempting to resolve their immigration status through legal channels. I’m sure there are instances where violent offenders are deported—but where’s the evidence that they make up the majority? In reality, most of those targeted are nonviolent offenders–or have no criminal record at all.
Regardless, the way ICE is conducting deportations is blatantly illegal and unconstitutional. Agents are detaining people first and asking questions later — effectively kidnapping them. Reports have surfaced of ICE officers confiscating IDs and immigration paperwork from their targets and , in some cases, assaulting U.S. citizens. Just recently, an ICE agent allegedly fired a pepper ball into a woman's vehicle without provocation, while another reportedly assaulted a woman who asked where her husband was being taken. There is no legal precedent or justification for the level of excessive force being used by these agents. Meanwhile, MAGA supporters claim there are “riots in the streets” and property being burned— narratives largely recycled from Fox News footage of the 2020 George Floyd protests, not from current events. Actual video evidence shows ICE targeting workplaces and community areas where their targets cannot easily defend themselves. They’ve become glorified bullies who could hardly pass a fitness test let alone a 5th grade civics exam. ICE is going after families and people trying to navigate the citizenship process “the right way” far more often than the violent criminals Fox and Trump constantly reference but never substantiate.
I’ve also seen the right try to justify ICE’s brutality by comparing undocumented immigrants entering the U.S. to a home invasion. That argument is beyond absurd —quite possibly the biggest logical stretch I’ve come across so far. The analogy falls apart instantly: families taking their kids to the park, people working at Home Depot, or individuals attending their immigration hearings are not violent offenders. If a crime has been committed, there should be a charge,a trial, and a verdict – not an assumption by some self-styled G.I. Jackoff.
I don’t understand why people are endorsing unchecked violence. Every day, we see videos of some tubby fuck ICE agent macing a mother, knocking down a journalist, or shooting a protester. What stands out most is that much of this brutality is directed at women – fully armed men in body armor and assault gear attacking unarmed women often half their size, sometimes four or more agents against one. Real tough guys. I blame the social media bubble for much of this indifference, but it’s still deeply unsettling that so many Americans can witness state violence against unarmed people and excuse it. Maybe the sludge-cycle has preconditioned them to stop asking why it is happening, or to rationalize it as “this is what I voted for." Either way, the list of who this administration considers a “target” is expanding at an alarming rate.
Trump isn’t even trying to hide it anymore. During Pete Hegseth’s staged “military meeting,” President Bone Spurs reportedly told top generals that “U.S cities should be used as training grounds” and that the country is “at war with the enemy within”. It is easy to dismiss Trump as a deranged old man and Stephen Miller as a four-foot Dobby the elf, but I take them at their word. They may be incompetent, but they have the full MAGA sludge-cycle behind them. And because of that, we can’t afford to shy away from calling out those who lazily endorse ICE's actions. Is it uncomfortable, confrontational, even scary? Of course. It’s especially hard when dealing with people in the middle who feel unaffected. But it needs to happen now – polling shows Trump’s approval slipping, so we need to keep our foot on the gas. I have zero confidence in congressional Democrats, aside from AOC and Bernie, to mount a cohesive strategy to counter the sludge-cycle. So, the push-back will have to come from the ground up.
In response, communities have sometimes banded together to defend neighbors, create constructive disruption, or flat-out troll these agents. Keep it up: embarrass them, shame them – history will not look back kindly. This weekend, there is another “No Kings” protest scheduled in cites all across the nation. It is this type of movement that MAGA is afraid of. Peaceful protest, civil disobedience, good trouble, whatever we call it, needs to be used by the masses in order to stop this mayhem. If you are active in the protests, I commend and thank you, we are the only ones who can save us. Fuck ICE.
- Edited by E. Sullivan
