178 Comments
User's avatar
Chris Klots's avatar

They (Miller, Homan, Trump, the whole gang of them) definitely don't care if ICE kills people. They only care that the killing be done off-camera, so that they can lie about the circumstances.

Dave Yell's avatar

Cruelty is the point.

ButWhatDoIKnow's avatar

ICE: Death is a feature; not a bug.

Richard Thomas's avatar

Part of the point.

More specifically it’s an important step for an aspiring authoritarian regime to have the security services murder civilians. It doesn’t much matter who they kill; although obviously regime opponents are preferred. It strongly motivates the security services to remain loyal to, and if necessary fight for, the regime in order to avoid any accountability they might face if the government changes and gives the regime something to use as leverage against them if their loyalty ever comes into question. It’s also useful for instilling fear in the general public.

It’s part of the entrenchment phase in the standard authoritarian takeover technique. Trump’s finished the consolidation part - fill the civil service with political hacks, take full control over domestic law enforcement and security services and purge senior military leadership to replace them with loyalists - so we’re now on to entrenchment. The next step in that phase is to prevent, or nullify the results of, free and fair elections. So we’ll see what happens with the mid-terms.

LHS's avatar

"President Trump on Wednesday criticized his administration’s directive to halt Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from conducting most vehicle stops after two fatal shootings, immediately throwing the policy into question a day after it went into effect.

In a post on social media, Mr. Trump defended the traffic stops and urged ICE to “go back and do your very important job.”

“We CANNOT give up one of I.C.E.’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” Mr. Trump wrote. “Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/15/us/politics/trump-ice-traffic-stops.html

Linda Odell's avatar

And if the dead person counts for their quota.

Travis's avatar

The killings will continue until public approval improves

Ron Greenway's avatar

Fuck no I won't do what you tell me.

Travis's avatar

You sing this to yourself as you drive to work, where you will most definitely do what the boss tells you to do lol

Jeff Biss's avatar

What does that mean? Public approval improves?

ButWhatDoIKnow's avatar

It's a play on the old joke.

A sign at work:

"Punishment will continue until morale improves."

RedRover's avatar

The classic version is military — “the beatings will continue until morale improves.” It’s mostly used today in a dilbertian way, as others have said.

MoosesMom's avatar

"All of this helped Trump’s mass deportation regime weather the political storm, get its multi-year appropriation, and avoid all requirements of accountability or transparency."

More prominent Democrats across the country need to loudly hammer home to everyone that Susan Collins got bi-partisan support for funding ICE by promising ICE would start using body cams. Another reason Maine voters have to STOP TRUSTING HER NOW!

Richard Kane's avatar

They should have stopped trusting her years ago!!!

Lisa Shampine's avatar

But she's so concerned! Can't you see from her face that she's concerned? She just oozes concern. I think she even has a "concerned" font she uses on Twitter.

Richard Kane's avatar

I wonder how many strings of pearls she's gone through because she clutched them so hard?

DK's avatar

Thoughts and pearls

:-(

James Byham's avatar

Your comment is concerning . 🤔

Justin Lee's avatar

Houston mayor John Whitmire, who originally said there would be no local investigations of the Salgado killing, has been under tremendous political pressure, in large part thanks to Rep. Sylvia Garcia, who endorsed Whitmire for mayor. Yesterday, the chief of police, with the mayor's consent, officially requested that the Texas Rangers investigate the killing. Apparently, the Texas Rangers have to be asked to investigate an officer-involved shooting, but until yesterday, no one had asked them.

dcicero's avatar

What does "huge political pressure" look like for these Texans? I would think they'd be out there in their Sunday-Go-To-Meeting best, big white cowboy hat, boots and a five-pound belt buckle, praising "our brave law enforcement officers and public safety officials."

I just can't imagine a situation where any Texan in any position of authority gives two craps about law enforcement killing anyone, legally here or not. Texans keep voting for this. Why would it stop? Why wouldn't it accelerate?

Justin Lee's avatar

Houston is a blue island in a sea of red, and the Harris County Democratic Party had already refused to endorse Whitmire in future elections. Sylvia Garcia helped get Whitmire across the finish line at a time when he was seen as being weak on women's rights in the wake of the Dobbs decision. So, her advocacy for an independent investigation matters.

Also, I've lived in Texas nearly my whole life and am a graduate of the University of Texas, and I don't own a cowboy hat, boots, or a belt buckle. Don't mess with Texas!

dcicero's avatar

When I've visited Texas, mostly for business, it's been great. I always come away thinking, "how can this be the place where insane, corrupt people run everything?" I'd never expect Texans to elect an AOC-type liberal, but would it be too much to ask for Texans to exercise some level of accountability for people like Ken Paxton?

Justin Lee's avatar

Outside the big cities, Texas voters tend to be non-college-educated white social conservatives who vote Republican no matter who the candidate is. Black and Hispanic voters make up a large portion of Democratic voters in this state, and they too lean socially conservative, although they generally vote for Democrats. College-educated whites are the most liberal/progressive group in the state, but we're greatly outnumbered by non-college-educated whites.

Dave Yell's avatar

Nope. Must be something in the water.

EarlofPas's avatar

My father moved to Texas in 1975 for his last job. He was New England born & bred, and moved to California in 1950 for better opportunity and weather. He was a moderate Republican. But once he got to Texas, where social constraints were less, he backslid like crazy and after a few years was using the N-word in casual conversation. When he died there, I said to my sister that the good news was that at least we never had to set foot in Texas again.

Dave Yell's avatar

Yep. Don't mess with a state that keeps electing Paxton, Cruz and Abbott!

James Byham's avatar

But it's fun to mess with Texas , maybe the Cowboys will win a super bowl this century , long live Jerry Jones !

Justin Lee's avatar

Everyone is more than welcome to rag on the Cowgirls!

Dave Yell's avatar

That's one exception.

Dave Yell's avatar

I hate Jerry Jones. It is no coincidence the Cowboys haven't done squad since Troy airman era. America's team, who thought of that one!

Jeri in Tx's avatar

Fellow Texan here and blue dot resident. I understand the reasons for lumping all Texans together as evil, but please folks, don't.

Thank you Justin for this comment.

Dave Yell's avatar

They keep voting Ken Paxton in as their top law enforcer. Any questions?

ERNEST HOLBURT's avatar

Don’t Mess with Texas, they can mess up anything without help.

Dave Yell's avatar

Aren't the Texas Rangers the same outfit that did such a bang up job in Uvaldi?

Keith Wresch's avatar

I could get behind the New Testament saving America. If those who professed Christian belief actually believed their sacred texts we wouldn’t have ICE committing the atrocities they do.

Don Gates's avatar

Nope. Because they wouldn't have voted for Donald Trump.

Diogenes Nutz's avatar

Let me fix your headline. "They Like When ICE Kills People."

Richard Kane's avatar

Definitely more accurate!

Dave Yell's avatar

Cruelty is the point.

Barry Warburton's avatar

ICE agents are paramilitary death squads commanded by racist thugs in the service of a madman.

Headlines should read - "Trump death squads murder innocent citizens."

This, in Amerika.

Fuck me.....

Richard Kane's avatar

More like AmeriKKKa.

Charles's avatar

The Prez says that ICE is conducting "crime fighting" every day. I have a different view. ICE looks more like a "crime organization " than any legitimate law enforcement agency! Oh, I forgot, our president authorized (and encourages) this behavior. How disgusting is that?

Linda Odell's avatar

The "worst of the worst." And I don't mean the immigrants.

Tai's avatar

The Arch de Trump is for MAGA’s triumph over liberal democracy and the rule of law. I hope this is only temporary.

dcicero's avatar

I still like calling it the Arc de Mentia.

Tai's avatar

Either way, it needs to come down if it is ever going to be built.

Dave Yell's avatar

Good one! I wish I thought of that one!

James Byham's avatar

Good one , 👍👍

Zev's avatar

Trump building the world's largest tombstone for the American experiment?

Carol S.'s avatar

I think Trump said openly that it was to honor himself. He doesn't think that any other reason is needed.

James Byham's avatar

It would be very temporary if I had my way , gone January 20 2029 .

Don Gates's avatar

While Democrats have totally self-sabotaged in the Maine Senate race, they would be wise to anchor this ICE murder of Guerrero around Susan Collins's neck, and hope that Mainers care. She voted to confirm Noem and Mullin. She's attacked Dems for refusing to increase funding to ICE and CBP without extensive reforms.

https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/majority/senator-collins-statement-on-passage-of-dhs-funding-package

Colleen Kochivar-Baker's avatar

Mainer's were picketing her campaign headquarters in Biddeford as soon as they had confirmation of the shooting.

Dave Yell's avatar

Then Sue will have real concerns.

Sabrina Haake's avatar

Americans need to better understand that federal agents do NOT have immunity from state prosecution and never have. Stephen Miller is laughably wrong on this.

https://sabrinahaake.substack.com/p/what-the-law-says-about-prosecuting?r=17fuyn&utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web

wiredog's avatar

They will once it gets appealed to the Supreme Court. The only question being 5-4 or 6-3.

James Byham's avatar

6 to 3 , regrettably .

Jeff's avatar

I unfortunately think we have a lot more bodies to go before John Q. Public cares enough to hold ICE accountable. And more unfortunately there are millions who will cheer for each and every murder. Renee Good, Alex Peretti, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, and Joan Sebastian Guerrero are giant flashing warning signs to every American that fascism is here and spreading. The longer Americans fail to heed to warning signs, the worse all of this and the solutions get.

Don Gates's avatar

There’s a perverse math to human psychology, unfortunately, where adding to the ICE body count will not cause many people to get angrier, but will instead make them more acclimated to the idea of ICE murdering people, especially when it’s brown people. The peak collective outrage may have come and gone with the Good and Pretti murders.

Jeff's avatar

I suspect that as long as ICE can keep the murders to singular events, the outrage can be managed at this point with another peace deal or war. Greenland is always there as a break glass in case of emergency distraction. I do think that if a group of people is killed we'd see massive outrage again.

Marianne Kendrick's avatar

The repubs impose time limits on questions because they do not want real accountability for their lawless conduct.

rlritt's avatar

Didn't Republicans used consider themselves the law and order party and the moral majority? Now they are totally radical, and neither moral or proponents of the Law, only Order. If it weren't so scary it would be interesting, from a sociological and political stand point, to watch a great democracy like the US devolve into totalitarianism.

Carol S.'s avatar

A party that ties itself to Donald Trump is a party that clearly doesn't care much about ethics and morality - except in hypocritical and self-serving ways - nor does it really believe in the rule of law.

While some hypocrisy and cynicism have always been present in both parties, the brazen abandonment of ethics and lawfulness in the Trumpified GOP is on another order.

rlritt's avatar
44mEdited

Their voters used to be called "Values Voters". What a sick joke.

Carol S.'s avatar

I know people who still claim that Trump is advancing a deeply moral agenda - and that his opponents are all serving the side of evil. But in choosing to defend Trump, they chose moral relativism and cynicism.

Dave Yell's avatar

I got a name for them: the no nothings.

Karl's avatar

Republicons have cared about only one thing since Buchanan & Gingrich - absolute, permanent power. Balance is a tool in that struggle.

James Byham's avatar

It will be a rubber stamp for trumpers corrupt personal attorney.

Tom Fee's avatar

Call ICE what it is. Death Squads

dcicero's avatar

Re: "...the movement writ large doesn’t have any compunction about the policy at all."

And that's it, isn't it? There is a HUGE swath of the electorate for which these killings are a source of joy and pride.

I honestly don't know how to fix that. These killings are going to continue until someone does.

Richard Kane's avatar

I feel that someone's going to take revenge into their own hands and start hunting ICE scumbags. Then the shit will really hit the fan, without the help of lettuce!

TomD's avatar

I hope not. Our prospects for winning a gun fight with these people would be slim.

dcicero's avatar

Could happen. And God help us if it does. It'll give these people everything they need to start a genuine crackdown on dissent.

James Byham's avatar

You got it , they love this and would expand it exponentially .

MoosesMom's avatar

ALL HAIL #BuffaloRon