ICE Militarized Enforcement. Black Erasure, Trump Doctrine & Its Consequences |#TheOtherSideOfChange

The Supreme Court has historically disavowed its role in protecting immigrant rights, labeling immigration enforcement as 'political issues' for the President and Congress. This stance enabled Congress to pass anti-immigrant laws like the 1996 IIRIRA, which created 'expedited removal'—a fast-track deportation process with no due process. This legal framework allows for people to be arrested and deported rapidly, often within 24 hours, and makes it challenging to trace individuals once detained.

Evet states, 'the Supreme Court has disavowed its role as a protector of immigrants rights... there's cases in the 1800s where the Supreme Court said we don't want to involve ourselves in questions of immigration enforcement because these are quote unquote political issues.' She adds, 'Congress passing very anti-immigrant laws in the late 1990s um including IRA which created expedited removal which is a fasttrack deportation process absolutely no due process.'

The Supreme Court has granted ICE officers immunity from misconduct suits, a privilege also extended to police officers. This immunity, coupled with DHS's public assurances to officers, fosters a culture within ICE and Border Patrol where agents feel and are often treated as if they are 'above the law,' contributing to unchecked actions and a lack of accountability for detentions and disappearances.

Evet explains, 'it's even gone so far as to say that ICE officers have immunity from misconduct suits... DHS was tweeting about recently earlier. They were they said, 'Don't worry to the ICE officers. you have immunity for whatever happens while you're on duty.''

The militarized enforcement tactics of ICE and police are not merely rhetorical comparisons to slave catchers and authoritarian regimes. They reflect a historical continuity where state powers regulate bodies for profit and capital. The current immigration system creates 'illegality' by intervening abroad, forcing migration, and then denying legal pathways, resulting in an exploitable, vulnerable labor force that can be deported if they organize for rights.

Bria states, 'Comparison to slave catchers and authoritarian enforcement are not just rhetorical. they really reflect how these state powers are operating.' Evet adds, 'police patrols developed out of um slave catchers and trying to regulate people's bodies for the purposes of profit and capital. Um, and I think that is very much the purpose of the very strict immigration enforcement system that we have now.'

Immigration enforcement is fundamentally racialized, targeting Black and brown individuals while largely ignoring white undocumented immigrants. Data shows Mexican and Central Americans are vastly overrepresented in detention, while white immigrants (e.g., Canadians, Europeans who overstay visas) are underrepresented. This demonstrates that enforcement is not about legality but about race, serving the explicit purpose of maintaining a predominantly white U.S.

Jamir notes, 'at no point do they care about the nearly 500,000 to a million white immigrants that are here illegally. Right. White people don't get stopped on the side of the road and asked to show their papers.' Evet confirms, 'Mexican and Central Americans are vastly over represented in detention centers... for white immigrants like Canadians and Europeans like a significant portion of whom overstay their visas they're under reppresented in detention centers. So it it is it's literally true that um this it's it's not about legality or illegality. It's literally about race and keeping America white.'

The Trump administration actively campaigns to 'whitewash America' by systematically erasing Black influence and leadership. This includes gutting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) departments, firing Black women from federal agencies, and replacing them with unqualified loyalists. This strategy is an 'administrative coup' aimed at rebranding whiteness as the only acceptable identity and obstructing justice.

Jamir states, 'Today we are taking a hard look at the deeply unsettling truth of the Trump administration. And it's campaigning to whitewash America and obstruct justice all at the same time.' Bria adds, 'From gutting DEI departments to firing black women from federal agencies and replacing them with the most unqualified loyalists, the strategy is clear. To erase black influence, to rewrite history, and to rebrand whiteness as the only acceptable identity.'