If you would rather listen and follow along, click the ‘Play’ button below.
Alright, I want to talk about something heavy, so if you’re here, I genuinely appreciate you taking a moment to actually listen/read instead of reacting.
For the last month or so, every time I open my phone or turn on the news, it’s headline after headline involving ICE and Border Patrol. Almost every one of them is wrapped in controversy. I’ve gone back and forth on whether to speak up about it. I stayed quiet longer than I wanted to because I didn’t want to inflame anything or turn this into another online screaming match.
But it’s been sitting with me. And at some point, staying quiet starts to feel like complicity.
I’m the only law enforcement officer in my family. I’ve watched a lot of conversations unfold: comments, reactions, hot takes… mostly from people who have never enforced the law, never had to make split-second decisions, and never had to live with the consequences of those decisions. And to be clear: everyone is entitled to their opinion. Even if your opinion is stupid, own it!
What I’m unapologetically saying, is that if you believe ICE is “doing the Lord’s work,” I need you to slow down and actually look at what’s happening. Because on a lot of levels, that belief does not line up with reality.
This is not a political post. I know people say that and then immediately make it political… this isn’t that. Yes, I lean more progressive than I used to, but this isn’t left vs. right. This is about human beings. This is about human rights. And this is about a government that is not only justifying violence, but in some cases openly celebrating it.
Before anyone checks out, let me say this clearly: I understand why immigration enforcement exists. It always has. Under Republican administrations, under Democratic administrations… it’s been there. ICE exists to enforce immigration law and facilitate lawful deportations. I don’t oppose that concept. Not even a little.
What I oppose is HOW this is being carried out right now.
It’s only in the past year, under President Trump’s current administration, that ICE and Border Patrol have become nonstop headlines, viral clips, and social media content. And this is happening at the same time trust in law enforcement is already dangerously low; which is wild, considering Republicans love to brand themselves as the “pro-law-enforcement” party, despite the fact that his first week in office, thousands of people who breached law enforcement at the capital, seriously injuring them, and killing some, were pardoned. That’s not pro-law enforcement at all. That’s pro-corrupted politics at its finest.
Here’s something people don’t always realize: in this profession, we’re all lumped together. Because I wear a badge, people assume I’m far-right, ultra-MAGA, pro-Trump no matter what. So for the sake of transparency, because honesty matters… I did reluctantly vote for Trump in his first term. At that point in my life, I was more religious, more conservative, and heavily shaped by how I was raised. I still lived with my parents and was influenced by how my family voted.
That’s not who I am now. More importantly, I’ve always believed that understanding viewpoints different from your own matters. Healthy disagreement matters. Growth matters. That’s probably why I’ve grown into the person I am today.
So let’s actually talk about ICE. Why now? Why all the controversy? Why are they suddenly everywhere?
ICE was created in 2003, in the aftermath of 9/11, under the Department of Homeland Security. Its original purpose was to investigate domestic threats and monitor foreign nationals to prevent another large-scale attack. For years, much of that work happened quietly and without constant national attention.
What we’re seeing now is different.
As a law enforcement officer, my job isn’t just to enforce the law; it’s to uphold it. Enforcing laws without accountability is not law enforcement. It’s abuse of power. And that’s where my frustration turns into anger.
The version of ICE we’re seeing in 2025–2026 should alarm everyone. There are numerous documented videos showing agents shattering vehicle windows, dragging people out of cars, using extreme force on individuals who later turn out to be here legally, and escalating situations to lethal force when it is not justified.
I am the last person who wants to Monday-morning quarterback another officer. For anyone unfamiliar, that means criticizing an officer’s actions after the fact without being there. I’ve been in chaotic, dangerous situations. I’ve rewatched my own body-cam footage and thought, Why did I do that? Stress does wild things to your brain.
Which makes accountability even more important.
When President Trump returned to office, his administration rescinded a Biden-era executive order that required federal law-enforcement officers to wear body-worn cameras during public interactions. Let that sink in. At a time when trust is already fragile, the response was LESS transparency.
What I’m seeing from ICE isn’t hesitation under stress: it’s immediate escalation. Close-range baton rounds. OC spray deployed directly into faces at point-blank range. Firearms introduced far too quickly. And too often, deadly force.
What makes this unbearable is that instead of accountability, these actions are being praised. Celebrated. Subtly, and sometimes openly encouraged. The Trump administration has posted photos and videos following ICE shootings with captions like “FAFO” (“fuck around and find out”). They’ve shared videos of agents detaining people with gimmicky music and captions that borderline mock the displacement of families.
Yes, lawful deportations sometimes separate families. That reality sucks. But doing it with dignity matters, and this administration is showing a disturbing lack of it.
I need you to hear this:
Seeking safety for your family is not “fucking around.” Wanting a better life is not “fucking around.” Existing while brown, non-white, or foreign-looking is not “fucking around.”
No one deserves violence because they look suspicious. No one deserves to be treated as less than human because they might be undocumented. These are human beings, and they deserve dignity.
There’s video after video of ICE agents demanding proof of citizenship without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. That is not lawful enforcement. If I did that as a police officer… if I detained or used force on someone solely for failing to produce citizenship papers, I would lose my peace officer license. I’d likely face criminal charges. And I should. That is racial profiling. Targeting people based on race, appearance, accent, or perceived nationality is the definition of racial profiling. And that is exactly what is happening.
This isn’t about politics. This isn’t about hating law enforcement. This is about accountability.
Law enforcement should be held to a higher standard, because we are legally authorized to temporarily strip people of their liberty and use force to do it. The Supreme Court case Graham v. Connor, sets the constitutional standard for use of force for all law-enforcement officers, including federal agents.
Graham v. Connor outlines three factors that must be considered when evaluating force:
1. The severity of the crime
2. Whether the subject posed an immediate threat
3. Whether the subject was actively resisting or attempting to flee
The use-of-force continuum reinforces the principle of using the minimum force necessary to effect an arrest. Nowhere in case law does it say someone deserves violence because they “played stupid games” or need to “find out.”
That rhetoric is dangerous. And it’s legally meaningless.
Looking at the first Graham factor: severity of the crime. Many of these ICE encounters involve suspected immigration violations, often without individualized reasonable suspicion beyond skin color, accent, or location. Even when detention is legally justified, the question remains: does that offense justify escalating force to the point of serious injury or death?
The second factor is whether the subject posed an immediate threat. “Immediate threat” isn’t whatever an officer feels in the moment: it’s what a reasonable officer would perceive under the circumstances. In the shooting of Renee Good, based on available footage and reporting, what we see is classic officer-induced jeopardy. Officer-induced jeopardy occurs when an officer unnecessarily places themselves in a dangerous position, increasing the likelihood that force will be used. The agent stood in front of an occupied vehicle, presumed to be in drive, and then did it again as the vehicle began to move. That is, by definition, officer-induced jeopardy.
Was Renee Good wrong for interfering with an ICE operation? Yes.Did she deserve legal consequences? Yes.Did she deserve to die? Absolutely not. Two wrongs do not make a right.
The third factor is resistance. There is a massive difference between fleeing to avoid detention and posing a lethal threat. In multiple ICE incidents, including Renee Good’s, officers escalated immediately, failed to de-escalate, and created chaos that increased risk for everyone involved.
Another example: a video circulating this week shows an ICE agent smashing a vehicle window, dragging a driver through shattered glass, pointing a gun at the passenger while shouting “don’t fucking move,” then seconds later screaming “get out of the fucking car.” That is a lose-lose scenario. Move and risk being shot. Don’t move and risk being shot. That is not sound tactics. That’s poor training and dangerous decision-making. Thank God nobody was seriously hurt in that incident, but how many more people need to die at the hands of ICE before change happens? If the pattern continues, I fear that every shooting will be deemed as justified because the current administration sees no wrong in what is happening.
I also fundamentally reject this administration labeling victims and protesters as “domestic terrorists.” Non-violent protest is one of the most American things there is. Dismissing protesters as lazy, foolish, or criminal is irresponsible. Protest is how change happens. What’s worse is that DHS leadership has publicly justified shootings almost immediately. This effectively closes the door on impartial investigations before they even begin. That isn’t justice. That isn’t due process. That is political corruption at the expense of human lives.
Finally, I keep seeing people, mostly Republicans, point to deportation numbers under the Obama administration as some kind of “gotcha.” That argument completely misses the point. Most people are not protesting deportation itself. It’s ugly, but in some cases, it’s legally necessary. What people are protesting is HOW enforcement is being carried out. The way ICE is operating right now violates basic human dignity, relies on excessive force, lacks accountability, and deserves to be challenged.
Supporting law enforcement does not mean supporting abuse. It means demanding better from the people trusted with power.
If you’re still reading and you’ve made it this far, thank you… especially if we don’t agree on everything. Choosing to actually hear an opposing perspective matters. I’m not asking you to change your beliefs. I am saying you can support law enforcement without defending every action taken in its name. Reform isn’t anti-police; it’s necessary. Without it, the same failures will keep repeating.
Support law enforcement. It genuinely does make our jobs easier. But as a law enforcement officer myself, I expect to be held fully accountable for what I do, and I’ll call out bullshit when I see it. I expect nothing less in return.
Thank you for your time.
For a Thought 
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