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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBattalion of ICE thugs Trump sent to Minneapolis are facing off against and assaulting a shitload of white people
...right in front of us, dominating the images on the news right now, ICE thugs are validating the fears that these militarized forces, clearly accountable only to Trump and his DHS gangsters are actually meant to intimidate ALL Americans away from taking to the streets to oppose his increasingly dictatorial rule.
We said the billions of dollars pumped into this unaccountable federal immigration agency would result in those same resources being used primarily against Americans opposed to and standing against tyranny.
Now Minnesota, and of course the rest of the nation, is being warred against by mercenary Americans willing to subjugate their fellow citizens to Trump's tyrannical rule.
You know, the thing I keep going back to is how Americans in both parties enabled this with xenophobic responses to immigration which don't seem to have the courage to declare that immigrants enhance our economy and our society - even the undocumented folks - and their continued support for the regressive immigration laws that restrict due process and criminalize administrative violations to the point where the federal government can now act against individuals in this country with such disdain for their rights and humanity.
It's actually a dumbfounding reluctance by so many in this country to reject these xenophobic complaints about immigrants 'flooding into the country,' and allowing themselves to be gaslighted about fractions of fraction of immigrants who are involved in violent crimes or other dangerous activity in this country.
Not a second of self-awareness or any compunction to actually look to find the fact that immigrants are very much less likely to commit any crime in the U.S. than their Americanized counterparts. They're our neighbors, co-workers, friends who contribute much more to the nation than they take from it; both economically and in their contributions to the enhancement of our society through their work and the skills and possible innovations they provide us.
We didn't save ourselves any money or provide any more jobs for Americans with Trump's mass deportation scam; nor did we make ourselves any more safe.
At least 51% of Americans polled just said they don't believe ICE activity has made them any safer:
NEW POLL: Half of Americans say ICE is making cities LESS safe after Minneapolis shooting
A stunning new CNN poll released today, January 14, 2026, reveals a massive shift in how the public views federal immigration enforcement. For the first time, more than half of Americans believe that ICEs presence is actually decreasing safety in U.S. cities.
The Poll Results:
SAFETY CRISIS: 51% of Americans say ICE enforcement actions are making cities less safe, while only 31% believe they improve security.
THE RENEE GOOD TRAGEDY: The fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good last week has sparked national outrage. 56% of respondents called the shooting an inappropriate use of force, with only 26% viewing it as justified.
SYSTEMIC ISSUES: Half of the country believes this shooting isnt an isolated incident but reflects "bigger problems" with how ICE is operating under the current administration.
DEPORTATION PUSHBACK: Resistance to President Trumps immigration policies is growing. 52% of Americans now say his deportation efforts have "gone too far," a significant jump from 45% just last February.
Brookings:
Key Economic Consequences of Deportations
Reduction in GDP: Mass deportations are projected to reduce the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) by approximately 2.6% to 6.2% over the next decade. This decline is attributed to the loss of unauthorized workers who contribute significantly to various industries.
Labor Market Disruption: Unauthorized immigrants make up about 3% of the U.S. workforce, with higher concentrations in sectors like agriculture, construction, and hospitality. For instance, 14% of the construction workforce is undocumented. Removing these workers could lead to severe labor shortages, particularly in industries that rely heavily on immigrant labor. Estimates suggest that deportations could result in a loss of 1.5 million jobs in construction and 870,000 jobs in manufacturing.
Wage Effects: While some studies suggest that wages for low-skilled authorized workers may increase due to reduced competition, the overall impact on high-skill workers is negative, with many experiencing wage declines. The average wage could fall by 0.5% to 1.7% depending on the duration and scale of deportation policies.
Increased Consumer Prices: The removal of a significant portion of the workforce is expected to lead to higher prices for goods and services. For example, it is estimated that consumer prices could rise by 9.1% by 2028 due to labor shortages in essential sectors.
Fiscal Costs: The financial burden of deportations is substantial, with estimates suggesting that each deportation costs around $13,000. The overall cost of implementing mass deportation policies could reach $900 billion over ten years, factoring in lost tax revenues and increased enforcement costs.
https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-labor-market-impact-of-deportations/
It's a goddamn shame, but this is a classic case of unintended consequences, made all the more tragic by the warnings that came from so many quarters, like the simple biblical admonition to, 'Do unto others, as you would have done to yourself;' or, 'What goes around comes around.'
One of the most poignant warnings was spoken by Abraham Lincoln, September 11, 1858, in Edwardsville, Illinois:
"It is not our frowning battlements, our bristling sea coasts, the guns of our war steamers, or the strength of our gallant and disciplined army. These are not our reliance against a resumption of tyranny in our fair land. All of them may be turned against our liberties, without making us stronger or weaker for the struggle. Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, every where. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors."
"Familiarize yourselves with the chains of bondage, and you are preparing your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of those around you, you have lost the genius of your own independence, and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises."
America became too accustomed to the inhumanity of our immigration enforcement regime, acquiescing to politicians providing the federal government with the tools and means to deny due process and basic human rights to migrants and refugees; protections that American citizens benefit from.
We also lost our manners, treating visitors and others migrating to America worse than we welcome stray animals. Americans not only allowed this to happen because they were indifferent, but because brown skin has always provided an advantage for some to exploit for their own divisive aims.
And now the game is revealed; the way politicians have exploited Americans' fears for generations to not only achieve power over everyone, but to perpetuate themselves in power through the inflaming of those fears and antipathies.
You can see that clearly displayed on the teevee news tonight in the remarkable images of mercenaries from down south, Trump's private white supremacist army, trying to clamp down on a majority of white folks in the streets standing up against their racist regime's biological warfare and outright physical brutality.
Kid Berwyn
(23,166 posts)Before Trump, I remember hearing Russia, Poland and Ireland were sending us their best.
How many of them have ICE deported?
I bet its fewer than work for ICE now.
Lovie777
(21,879 posts)the imagine alone will be seen in the US and the world as violent hateful events thrust upon the Minnesotans.
shithole and comrades are just plain evil, why do they hate us so much.
bigtree
(93,450 posts)...excerpt from an account of mercenary activity against Floyd protests in Minneapolis in 2021:
"We are hearing about how the paramilitary private security people have attacked people in Uptown Minneapolis"A private security company with 'international mercenary' personnel that worked in Iraq and Libya""are treating Minneapolis residents like insurgents, per speaker who was harassed by them"The supervisor of the mercenaries in Uptown attacked local person Link when they asked for information about who is working there"Three people have been harassed and at least one person has traumatic brain injury inflicted by mercenaries with excessive force in Uptown Minneapolis"Hearing about violence by both police and private security personnel in Minneapolis"Witness describes being grabbed by a mercenary"[mercenary] Nathan Seabrook declared Minneapolis is a "shithole", comparing it to places he worked as a paramilitary mercenary like Libya on a podcast"The mercenaries appear to be operating a 'shadow fusion center' identifying and profiling protesters"MPD strategy may be "hiring people by proxy" to clamp down on protests; MPD has been "getting worse" since federal DOJ presence intensified in Minneapolis"The mercenaries are dangerous because they have no de-escalation strategy or relationship with the community"the private mercenary forces forced everyone out with five minutes notice in pre-dawn hours"mercenaries go behind people to prevent them from walking back to the public easement"Chemical weapons that would be impermissible in a theatre of war have been used on protesters in the Twin Cities..."
bigtree
(93,450 posts)...and some having the interest and concern to look in and give me a nod.
I hope I'm communicating something useful.
Thread drop...