Crushed ICE

#48

Particularly good news

This is a time of widespread good news in the resistance to Trump’s drive toward dictatorship. We can all rejoice in the news:

• Trump was forced by organized grassroots pressure and national disgust to say he will withdraw ICE and CBP troops from Minneapolis.

• In Texas, in a deeply red county where Trump won by 17% in the 2024 election, Taylor Rehmet, a Democrat, won a special election for state senator by 14%. That is a 31% decrease in support for Republicans.

• MAGA was not able to pass legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security. DHS will operate its core ICE activities, but for the moment, the shutdown may slow hiring, training, procurement, some court support, policy work and administrative activities despite ICE’s $75 billion long-term budget.

• The Democrats are developing some spine. All Democrats in the Senate (except John Fetterman), and eight Republicans voted against passing legislation to fund ICE. Those Republicans are: Ron Johnson WI, Mike Lee UT, Ashley Moody FL, Rand Paul KY, Rick Scott FL, Tommy Tuberville AL, and John Thune SD. The vote was 52 - 47 with 60 votes required pass budget legislation.

• Student activism has recently gotten a new burst of energy. In February alone, at least 1272 student demonstrations and walkouts occurred (see below).

• U.S. Courts have issued over 4,400 findings that ICE has unlawfully detained immigrants without due process.

• A federal Grand Jury in Washington, D.C. refused to indict six members of Congress who Trump said should be executed because they told members of the U.S. military they have a right and a duty not to obey illegal orders.

• The New York Times reported that in January, Trump’s approval rating dropped to 40%, with disapproval of him rising to 56%. The Times reported that this represents a three-point drop in approval since the previous Times/Siena survey in September 2025, signaling a “vibe shift.”

Don’t get too comfortable

Two pieces of the Good News above have danger signs.

• Though U.S. Courts have issued over 4,400 findings that they have unlawfully detained immigrants, ICE continues to violate the law. It appears that the rate of illegal detentions has not diminished with the legal decisions against these actions. ICE’s continued violations of the law reflect Trump’s increased lawlessness. His regime violates court decisions, disregards the rule of law, and spits on the Constitution. There seems to be no limit to how far outside the rule of law they will go.

• The Trump regime filed a lawsuit against six members of Congress for reminding military personnel of their right and duty to refuse to obey illegal orders. This is an assault on the free speech of members of Congress. It is a blatant attempt to intimidate other retired military officers. It is a loud message to members of the military to follow orders, whether they are legal or not.

Crushed ICE

Tom Homan, Trump’s border Czar announced on February 4th that 700 ICE agents would leave Minneapolis. On Thursday, February 12th, he announced that almost all Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) troops would leave Minneapolis.

This is a victory in the resistance to Trump’s drive toward dictatorship. The walkouts, work stoppages, boycotts, and the massive, continuous demonstrations against ICE in Minneapolis and across the nation forced Trump to withdraw his thugs.

The announcement of the ICE troop withdrawal was made the day before the Senate was to vote on whether to advance or extend funding to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Presumably, the announcement was timed to encourage senators to vote for funds for DHS and ICE. The vote in the Senate on Friday, the 13th, to fund DHS failed to pass.

The Democrats are opposed to funding DHS until severe restrictions are put on ICE. The proposed restrictions include requiring judicial warrants to enter people’s homes and private property, no masks, a ban on aggressive tactics, mandatory body cameras, and clear identification of agents.

Resistance to ICE in Minnesota

We received a report from Jerri Hurlbutt in Minnesota. She lives in Northfield (population 20,000), 40 miles from Minneapolis, and helped launch a grassroots resistance movement there by creating a branch of THE BEACON. She writes:

The Beacon in Northfield started with me alone downtown, promoting compassionate democracy. Another friend joined; we grew to about 2 to 6 folks every Thursday, until the murder of Renee Good, when the demonstration grew to 16-18 folks every week.

The main support here for immigrants and other vulnerable residents is NORTHFIELD SUPPORTING NEIGHBORS (NSN), which has an ICE watch, a system to have habeas corpus petitions filed for people detained by ICE, and provides rides, food, and other supports for people too afraid to leave their homes.

On February 10, ICE agents were in the parking lots of the orthopedics center and main medical clinic in Northfield. Across the street from both clinics is an apartment complex. After the announcement of ICE leaving MN, ICE agents threatened the residents of the apartment complex. We advised them to shelter in place. We continue to watch for ICE thugs.

Beacon demonstrators in Northfield, MN (photo by Nat Ojala)

My favorite poster in the Northfield, MN demonstration

Is it fair to compare ICE to Stormtroopers?

In Substack #45, One Leg in Quicksand, I compared ICE to fascist stormtroopers. A member of my college class, Williams ‘66, took issue in the class blog with that comparison. Here’s part of my response and my reason for concluding that the comparison is valid.

Hitler came into office in 1933. The Nazi stormtroopers didn’t arrest Jews massively until 1938, five years later. In that year, 30,000 Jews were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. The concentration camps did not begin as extermination centers. They began as brutal detention centers. Trump’s detention centers have widely been reported to be brutal, with severe overcrowding, lack of physical and mental health care, unsanitary conditions, inedible food, abuse of solitary confinement, physical abuse by staff, and children who have been separated from their families held in unsafe conditions. Thirty-eight people have died in ICE custody since Trump came into office.

ICE and CBP [Customs and Border Protection] agents have 71,000 black and brown immigrants in detention facilities; only 5 percent have violent felony convictions. Hitler created Jews as the enemy; Trump has targeted immigrants.

One of the main functions of the stormtroopers was to create intimidation and fear among the public through visible violence. It has been widely reported that ICE has used its violence for a similar goal.

I called ICE agents thugs. Their actions, seen widely on videos—breaking into people’s homes without judicial search warrants, separating children from their parents, violating court orders, brutally arresting people, killing eight people during apprehension or capture—support the label of thugs. In the past, ICE agents had to have a bachelor’s degree and pass a background check, a polygraph test, and physical/drug tests. Applicants needed one year of specialized experience and had to pass 22 weeks of training. Trump’s agents no longer need even a high school degree. Most of the other requirements have also been discarded. Training is now 47 days, coinciding with Trump’s presidential number.

There has been wide speculation that January 6th insurrectionists who were pardoned by Trump and released from prison have been hired as ICE agents. Congressman Jamie Raskin argued that one reason ICE agents wear masks is to conceal the identity of January 6th insurrectionists. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has not denied that ICE has hired January 6th insurrectionists.

There is a difference between ICE and Nazi stormtroopers. The stormtroopers were a militia of the Nazi party, not a branch of a government agency. To the extent that Trump has transformed the government into a MAGA weapon, this is a difference without significance.

Analogy is a weak form of logic. Nevertheless, there are frightening similarities between ICE agents and stormtroopers.

A few upcoming events

Tuesday, Feb 17th: Lt. Col Anthony Aguilar is a retired U.S. Army Green Beret who earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. In 2025, he led security efforts for the American-Israeli outfit, Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. When he realized the mission was anything but humanitarian, he resigned and became a whistleblower. He will speak along with Dr. Makdisi, Professor of History and Chancellor’s Chair, Palestinian and Arab Studies, U.C. Berkeley. 7 pm, St. John’s Church, 2727 College Ave, Berkeley

Wednesday, March 4th: The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) led by its President Randi Weingarten is organizing a nationwide day of actions calling for protecting our kids, our families and our communities. You can sign up or learn about actions near you at NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION

Saturday, March 28: No Kings. The No Kings Coalition is making a nationwide organizing effort for the next mass mobilization on March 28. It will include a flagship event in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St Paul. You can sign up to be part of a demonstration or to organize one yourself at NO KINGS

A Resource

We the People Dissent has prepared a list of all student demonstrations across the country, organized by date, city, school and state. The list included 1272 student demonstrations in February. Many of these recur weekly. Student activism has skyrocketed in the past month. You can see the map or list of student protests at STUDENT PROTESTS

Signs of Hope

Demonstrations against Trump are everywhere.

The Super Bowl was a defeat for the owner of the Patriots, Robert Kraft, who is a financial supporter of Trump. It was also the site of an effective protest against ICE. 15,000 ICE OUT towels were given out by about 60 volunteers to some of the 70,000 fans who attended the Super Bowl. The action was organized by Contra ICE, Swing Left, and the Democratic Party of Santa Clara County. A buddy and I, Micky Bloom, gave out over 400 ICE OUT towels each. Only three people responded “ICE IN”. Although many of the towels were confiscated at the entrance to the Super Bowl (a copyright violation because the towels used copyrighted Super Bowl LX), there was extensive national and international press coverage of the demonstration by Reuters, AP, USA Today, the New York Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

SEIU Local 1021 at Wilma Chan Highland Hospital on February 11, 2026, held a “Stop the Cuts” rally to fight against planned “catastrophic” layoffs and service reductions. Despite the rain, 100 people were there on their lunch break.

The Grand Lake Vigil in Oakland brings out new signs weekly.

In Hayward, there is a Pro-Palestine demonstration (Avenue D at the 76 Gas Station) down the block from the weekly demonstration against Trump (Mission and B Street), both at 4 pm.

Thanks to Risa Jaroslow for editing and to Micky Bloom, Jerri Hurlbutt and Risa Jaroslow for information.