"The rule of law, the freedom to protest, and even the right to walk or drive in the streets safely without being assaulted by the state, seems to exist no longer in the towns and cities where ICE has made its presence felt. The most disturbing aspect of all this is how quickly it has happened. But for a government agency such as ICE to become the powerful paramilitary force that it is, several factors need to be in play first."
"First, there needs to be a merging of immigration and security concerns, both institutionally and in the political culture. Established in the wake of 9/11, ICE was part of a government restructuring under President George W Bush. It was granted a large budget, wide investigative powers and a partnership with the FBI's joint terrorism taskforce. The work of enforcing immigration law became inextricably linked to the business of keeping Americans safe after the largest attack on US soil."
Recent actions by ICE, including the killing of Renee Good and frequent violent street confrontations, reveal an erosion of rule of law, protest freedoms, and safe public movement in affected communities. ICE's growth into a paramilitary entity resulted from institutional merging of immigration and security after 9/11, granting ICE large budgets, investigative powers and ties to the FBI. Subsequent administrations broadened enforcement beyond national-security threats to include border apprehensions, gang members and non-citizens with minor convictions, expanding the dragnet and hollowing due process. Under Trump, ICE became the largest federal law enforcement agency with enormous funding and an aggressive mandate.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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