ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] was designed to keep America safe, but today, it works nearly unregulated, endangering American citizens and non-citizens alike.
Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old poet and U.S. citizen, was killed by ICE agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 7 while leaving a protest. On Jan. 24, ICE agents shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse and U.S. citizen, at a protest in Minneapolis. By murdering two white U.S. citizens in broad daylight, on camera, ICE sends a clear message to the public: no one is safe.
Not even children are free from ICE violence. Countless children have been deported, many of whom are U.S. citizens. Families with U.S. citizen children, ages ranging from 2 to 11 years old, are suing the Trump administration for the abduction of their children without due process. The detainment of Liam Ramos, a 5-year-old U.S. citizen, happened in front of his preschool on Jan. 20, and his image went viral on social media. The conditions of the detention centers are not entirely known, but Congress members who visited Ramos before his release from the South Texas Family Residential Center have reported disgusting conditions for the children, many of whom have fallen ill and allegedly have no access to doctors, according to USA Today, ABC News and CNN News.
ICE is not a new organization in America; it was established in 2003, aiming to protect America from foreign threats. Under the Obama Administration, deportations from ICE reached a high, with Obama outlining his policies as targeting “Felons, not families. Criminals, not children. Gang members, not a mom who’s working hard to provide for her kids.” However, the Trump administration has targeted law-abiding citizens, non-citizens and their children. On Feb. 9, CBS News reported findings from the Department of Homeland Security that less than 14% of about 400,000 immigrants arrested by ICE in Trump’s second term so far had no criminal records.
In September, the Supreme Court overruled a policy that prevented race, language, accent and occupation as a means for ICE action, highlighting how racism has become the motivator for mass deportations. Racism is not a valid deportation policy.
As children are torn from their mothers, as American citizens are murdered for protesting, as journalists are being arrested, we watch our country fall further into fascism. The discussion surrounding ICE is no longer one of politics, nor of enforcing “immigration and customs.” It is a matter of basic human morals and empathy. If you allow your eyes to deceive themselves, if you believe that you are not just as likely a victim as the last, then you are contributing to the violence that is spreading like a wildfire from Minneapolis to your front door.
There are numerous opportunities to get involved. Boycott or limit support to companies that fund ICE, including Amazon, Chat-GPT and Comcast. Volunteer with local organizations like VC Defensa to help immigrants in your community. Attend peaceful protests, such as the No Kings protest on March 28 near the Oaks Mall. To love your neighbor is sometimes a sacrifice, but I have never read a history book about those who stayed silent about injustice for their convenience.