Although the Trump administration is responsible for detaining immigrants who entered the country unlawfully, its method of enforcement lacks dignity and civilized standards.
The United States is increasingly exhibiting behaviors akin to a harsh fascist regime as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents show blatant disregard for human rights while pursuing undocumented immigrants.
In the small California border town of Campo, less than a mile from Mexico, locals recounted the panic they felt witnessing masked individuals detain agricultural laborers of all ages and load them into unmarked vehicles.
Often, these officials dress in plain clothes and refuse to identify themselves, making it impossible to distinguish immigration officers from imposters. Without any contact number to locate their detained relatives, families are forced to report these disappearances as kidnappings.
One young man questioned, as his friend was pushed into an unmarked van, “What kind of police go around in masks without uniforms and identification badges?”
Residents feel powerless as ICE’s authority goes unchecked. Complaints filed with the Department of Homeland Security have become ineffective since the relevant office was dismantled. Holding agents accountable for misconduct is nearly impossible when their identities remain secret, causing fear among communities reluctant to perform daily tasks such as grocery shopping or picking up children from school.
Nationwide, citizens must confront the harsh truth that federal agents face almost no restrictions in carrying out President Donald Trump’s plan for mass deportations. Campo serves as a testing ground for larger, more aggressive raids in cities like Portland, Oregon, Chicago, Illinois, and beyond.
Recently, the Supreme Court allowed racial profiling by a local ICE center in Los Angeles. Earlier this month, a raid in a Chicago apartment building where children were reportedly taken from their beds without clothing sparked widespread condemnation.
Meanwhile, Trump cautioned he might invoke the historic Insurrection Act, which grants presidents the authority to deploy military forces on domestic soil.
“Don’t forget I can use the Insurrection Act,” he told Fox News. “Fifty percent of the presidents…have used that. And that’s unquestioned power.”
Critics argue that ICE’s presence in cities is even more troubling than military patrols, describing the agency as a secret police force with little oversight, pushing America towards the appearance of a third-world state.
A retired senior Department of Homeland Security official, speaking anonymously out of fear of retaliation, labeled the situation as “a sad day in America.” He described conditions since Trump’s presidency: “People are dragged from immigration court hearings to prisons where they cannot contact family or lawyers. Groups of masked men seize individuals in daylight and deport them to countries like Ecuador, known for torture and severe human rights abuses. This is what America has become in 2025.”
At the same time, ICE’s budget has surged. Beyond its $10 billion annual operating budget, the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill allocates an extra $7.5 billion yearly for the next four years just for recruitment. In recruitment efforts, age, education, and training criteria have been relaxed, and signing bonuses up to $100,000 are being offered.
“Allowing recruits to enter the agency without proper vetting is creating a dystopian reality on America’s streets,” the former DHS official warned. “This is alarming.”
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson defended ICE and accused critics of spreading “dangerous, untrue smears.”
“ICE officers act heroically to enforce the law, arrest criminal illegal aliens and protect American communities with the utmost professionalism,” Jackson stated. “Anyone pointing the finger at law enforcement officers instead of the criminals are simply doing the bidding of criminal illegal aliens and fueling false narratives that lead to violence.”
Meanwhile, the White House shuttered the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman, previously responsible for reporting dire conditions in ICE detention centers. After a lawsuit and court mandate, the office was reinstated but remains severely understaffed.
This weakening occurs as Trump advances plans to open detention centers with names reflecting their harshness: “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Florida Everglades, operated by the state in partnership with DHS, and Nebraska’s “Cornhusker Clink.”
On April 1, ICE agents conducted a raid at a birthday party in Hays County, Texas, near Austin, detaining 47 people including nine children. The agency claimed the operation targeted members of the Venezuelan transnational gang, Tren de Aragua.
Half a year later, there has been no official update regarding the detainees’ whereabouts.
“We’re not told why they took them, and we’re not told where they took them,” a neighbor said. “By definition that’s kidnapping.”
The Texas Department of Public Safety did not respond to requests for comment.
While it is the Trump administration’s responsibility to detain those who entered the nation illegally, its enforcement lacks respect and basic civility. Groups of unidentified vehicles seizing individuals in open daylight sets dangerous precedents and encourages further violence against innocent people. This conduct diminishes America’s global standing, reducing it to a banana republic with no regard for law or human rights.
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