There is so much wrong on so many levels that this one twit by Trump is worthy of a law review article. But one particularly bizarre aspect of the twit is worthy of discussion. Why ICE first?
ICE, short for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, isn’t a general law enforcement agency. Granted, its budget under the Big Beautiful Bill dwarfs the other federal law enforcement agencies. Granted, its personnel are the worst trained by far. Granted, they are empowered to act without constraint, using unwarranted and unlawful force and routinely violating the Constitution by seizing without cause.
Granted, the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, and their direct Czar, Bagman Homan, shamelessly fabricate unproven and often false accusations against their targets to rationalize their unlawful actions so they can act with impunity, the MAGA faithful either believing the lies or, more likely, not caring because they hate those “illegals.”
But, wrongful as it may be, this is the President of the United States of America directing ICE to arrest (forget the absurdity of the president believing it’s up to him to decide what punishment to impose) people who burn flags, an act of protected free speech per the Supreme Court. Why ICE first?
There appear to be a few unique aspects of ICE as it ramps up hiring and amasses a number of armed and masked agents that exceed any other federal law enforcement agency other than its sister agency in the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Patrol with about 60,000 agents. Not only is ICE acting with facial impunity, but its leaders applaud its actions no matter how violent, baseless or unlawful.
Why would Trump put ICE first? My fear is that he sees ICE as a force loyal to him and that a significant portion of his MAGA base will excuse anything ICE does, no matter how unlawful. For now, it’s about scooping up as many aliens as possible, without much regard for the lawful immigrants and United States citizens who get caught in the net, and send them out of the country without regard to where they end up or what happens to them afterward.
But twits like this, where he directs them to engage in general law enforcement (here against the nefarious flag burners), suggest that ICE is expanding beyond immigrants and into the enforcement of Trump’s whims, without regard to the agency’s putative mission or the legality of Trump’s orders. Will ICE be knocking on your door soon, not because of any reasonable and articulable suspicion that there might be an illegal alien hidden within, but because your political views make you the enemy within? The military may not be entirely willing to acquiesce to Trump’s whims, but will ICE?
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Why?
Could be the Principal is not only out of the building but never really even showed up?
As you may recall from your formative years the Vice Principle runs the show, and is the “god” of discipline.
Stephen Miller.
He even looks the part. FUCK that he is…
This in print disconnect to his “powers” is numbing.
No way, no how, the President is upon the D-9 Dozer.
I know you know this.
But only so many arrows in a quiver.
Instead of why, perhaps how the fuck has Stepen Miller hijacked the stream of our Load?
I for one kinda miss Trump…
[Ed. Note: Too close to the edge. If it’s incoherent, it doesn’t make the cut.]
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2JQRgiTfxXY
From Judge William Young’s recent decision: “And there’s the issue of masks. This Court has listened carefully to the reasons given by Öztürk’s captors for masking-up and has heard the same reasons advanced by the defendant Todd Lyons, Acting Director of ICE. It rejects this testimony as disingenuous, squalid and dishonorable. ICE goes masked for a single reason — to terrorize Americans into quiescence.”
Every fascist dictator needs an unaccountable paramilitary force that is loyal to them alone. Trump is making ICE that force. They deal in immigration enforcement, which is already a Constitutional right free zone.
I burned my last flag this morning. Power was out. Couldn’t find anything better to do.
Trump doesn’t seem to understand that, at some point, people will begin shooting back. There’s that whole Second Amendment thing. Some people take that very seriously. And when that starts, we’re totally, royally screwed.
Maybe sooner rather than later.
Along with “why ICE first,” let’s also note that the US Military – which has NO business enforcing laws – is also on the list.
Is it just me or is that ongoing “thank you for your attention to this matter” closure of TrumpTwits creepy, weird, or both?