“Love Trump’s Hate”: The Growing ICE Crisis

Zephyr Liu
16 hours ago
3 min read

ICE’s escalating use of force and mass detention has crossed a moral line, as immigration enforcement creates a preventable humanitarian crisis.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has accelerated levels of deportations in the country with aggressive raids and arrests, drawing the public's attention to the terrible conditions within the detention centers. The consequences of their hostility have become increasingly difficult to ignore. This violence has escalated –more clearly than ever– into a humanitarian crisis. On the morning of January 7, 2026, the residents of Minneapolis were horrified to witness the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, as more than a thousand protests were held throughout the country in anti-ICE efforts. This shooting is a chilling reminder to the world that this current enforcement regime has gone off the rails.

Beyond fatal shootings, the deteriorating conditions inside immigration detention facilities clearly show the cruelty of the current administration and their faulty priorities. Rather than focusing on processing detainees and relieving pressure on detention facilities, the government has instead chosen to rile up violent arrests, with Statista reporting a record amount of ICE custody deaths since 2004. Throughout the country, ICE detainees are denied access to legal advisors, live in unsanitary conditions, and lack adequate medical care. A PBS article, citing US Senate documents, reports 80 cases of medical neglect and 500 cases of abuse between January and August of 2025. Moreover, ICE detention facilities face severe overcrowding. According to the AULA Blog, the detainee population has surged to approximately 57,000 people—the highest since the end of Trump’s first term in 2020.

Many supporters of ICE’s growing mandate believe that, though regrettable, these casualties are a necessary response to border insecurity and illegal immigration. However, this justification for unnecessary chaos lacks substance. The overwhelming majority of arrests by ICE are non-violent individuals who hold legal residency in the United States. Data from TRAC Immigration, a non-partisan research center at Syracuse University, shows that more than two-thirds of ICE detainees as of November 30, 2025 have no criminal convictions, with many of those convicted committed only minor offenses, such as traffic violations. This reality exposes a deep flaw in the argument that ICE’s tactics are in the best interest of public safety; when enforcement overwhelmingly targets individuals who pose no threat, fear is instilled within the general public rather than eliminated. Instead of strengthening national security, these practices have harmed national trust in the administration.

Addressing this crisis requires a significant shift in policy making. Rather than increasing mass detention and violent militarized enforcement, the federal government must prioritize more humane, evidence-based alternatives. At the very least, access to legal counsel must be guaranteed; according to the American Immigration Council, 80% of detainees go unrepresented in immigration court. Community based programs also need significant improvement through increased funding to provide additional services, as current government Alternatives to Detention (ATDs) function more like security measures than as systems of actual care. Furthermore, there must be strict federal oversight on ICE and Border Patrol with transparent, efficient investigations and nation-wide standards for detention centers.

The public has not been afraid to speak up as protests flood the streets of cities from coast to coast, revealing widespread frustration that, if the administration fails to act now, further consequences are inevitable. Just a week after the shooting of Good, a Venezuelan man was shot in the leg by a federal agent in an enforcement operation in Minneapolis, intensifying tensions and sparking even more protests. With emotions running high, it’s important to take a step back and direct anger into peaceful and fair civic engagement rather than spontaneous confrontation.

In a protest in Minneapolis, former Minneapolis mayor Sharon Sayles Belton called out Trump, urging the public to “Love Trump’s hate,” and demanding, “stop trying to turn us against each other. This is not who we are as a people.” Belton poses a fundamental challenge to the public: “If we don’t speak out and speak up, then the question is, who are we?”