Opinion | The High Cost of ICE’s Low Standards

A lot happened this week. Protests in Iran continued to grow today. “The Justice Department’s investigation of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.” “President Trump just said the United States needs Greenland.” Here’s something you shouldn’t miss. To deport millions of immigrants — “Millions and millions of criminal aliens” — to fulfill Trump’s campaign promise. — ICE leaders have stepped up hiring. How did they do this? An extensive advertising campaign and $50,000 in signing bonuses. “When I was pulled away without a knife because I brought a gun to fight.” They have more than doubled the number of ICE officers and agents in the country in less than a year. They also cut training times by more than half. And ICE’s leadership pressured officers to meet arrest quotas; This is a practice that many police departments have abandoned. We see the result “it does nothing”. “Idiot. Come here.” “I have a baby.” “Brother!” In just one year, Trump has transformed an American law enforcement agency into an unfettered, unaccountable force. It is a step towards becoming a police state. “Were you born here?” A place where law enforcement routinely breaks car windows — “This person [EXPLETIVE] window.” – forced people to drown – “Can’t breathe.” – Detain American citizens for days – “I am a US citizen.” — and yes, you can fatally shoot a driver in his car without triggering a serious federal investigation into the officer’s conduct. This is a situation where Congress can do something, and some Democrats are pushing for reform. “We cannot continue business as usual.” “There’s a wide variety of things that can be done.” But even if they succeed, ICE’s new culture will be difficult to change. Most law enforcement officers in the United States pride themselves on being professional public servants with the goal of reducing fear and creating a sense of order in their communities. ICE, on the other hand, creates terror and chaos. And a year into Trump’s second term, that seems to be their goal all along.