Trump’s ICE went too far, and now it’s backfiring

Fear and backlash are the predictable results of politicized enforcement

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For a long time, we were told that Immigration and Customs Enforcement enjoyed broad public support. We were told that Americans loved what they were doing. We were told that any criticism was fringe, hysterical, or unpatriotic.

Now even ICE agents are admitting something very different.

They are afraid.

Agents are saying they are scared to drive marked vehicles, scared to do routine operations, scared to be seen in public, and scared because large portions of the country no longer see them as protectors of public safety, but as a hostile force imposed on communities.

This is what happens when a government turns law enforcement into a political weapon and then refuses to deal with the consequences.

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ICE is afraid because the public finally sees the truth

That fear did not emerge overnight. It has been building for years as Americans increasingly reject the immigration enforcement approach of the Trump administration. What pushed it to the breaking point was the killing of 37-year-old Renee Good during an ICE operation in Minneapolis.

Good was unarmed. She was not a criminal, she was a mother of three; described by her family as compassionate and devoted. She was shot three times while sitting in her own vehicle.

The federal government’s initial justification was that she was attempting to run over ICE officers. But video evidence has raised serious questions about that claim. What the footage appears to show is an officer stepping in front of the vehicle, leaning forward into it, and then using that contact as justification for lethal force.

That incident triggered national outrage and protests. It also accelerated a collapse in public support that was already underway.

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When authority loses legitimacy

Polling now shows ICE approval has gone from net positive to deeply negative during Donald Trump’s presidency. Majorities of Americans disapprove of the agency and disapprove of its use of force. Agents report being heckled, followed, and confronted. Protesters bang pots and honk horns outside hotels where ICE is known to be staying.

This is what public backlash looks like.

Some people have written to me saying that if they were terrified of their job, they would quit. And many people would. A profession that relies on public legitimacy cannot function when its members are afraid of being seen.

This is where the internal makeup of today’s ICE force matters.

We are not talking about a deeply established, battle tested group with a strong civic mission. We are talking about a large number of recent recruits. People drawn in by sign on bonuses, badges, and authority rather than by a commitment to public service.

In too many cases, the appeal was not about keeping communities safe. It was about power. About being able to punch down. About feeling important. That is not real purpose.

When authority is the only thing holding your identity together, it collapses quickly when the public stops respecting it. That is exactly what we are seeing now.

Many ICE agents are panicking not because they are facing violent criminal organizations, but because ordinary Americans are openly rejecting what they are doing.

Protestors motivated by belief

Now compare that to the protesters.

The people filling the streets are not there for a paycheck. They are not there to exert power over others. They are there because they believe something fundamental is wrong. They believe the government has overreached. They believe state violence is being normalized. They believe lives are being put at risk.

That is a profound difference.

People motivated by belief are willing to endure discomfort, danger, and sacrifice. On the other hand, people who are motivated primarily by authority will panic when that authority is challenged.

To be clear, I am against violence. Full stop. I oppose violence carried out by ICE officers, and I oppose violence directed at ICE officers. This is not about cheering harm or chaos.

It is about cause and effect.

Under Donald Trump, people were recruited into ICE under questionable conditions, given shortened and inadequate training, and sent out to enforce an ideological agenda. Now they are confronting the reality of what that agenda looks like in the real world.

What is missing is accountability. A moment of recognition that this environment was created by design. That moment has not arrived.

ICE is deeply unpopular. Agents are increasingly afraid. Maybe that should prompt a serious reconsideration of the entire operation.

That is where this story actually ends.

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