In these trying times, we find ourselves quoting Smash Mouth a little more than we’d like. " My world’s on fire, how ‘bout yours?” That pretty much sums up the vibe since Harambe got shot. But for the most part, it felt like global issues have been just that, global. Something we normies just can’t do a damn thing about.
But what happens when the literal, five-alarm fire at the center of the national conversation is a little closer to home? Even under your own roof? An online community posed this exact, incredibly loaded question to the family members of ICE agents.
More info: Reddit
Throwaway for obvious reasons. I work for ICE, currently. I am demoralized and horrified at what is going on. I constantly ask myself if I should leave and decide on NO. Why? If I quit they will replace me with someone who might ignore a pesky detail like a suspects rights. Just the other day I told a local police department they cant hold someone on one of our administrative warrants, and I know a proud boy would have “overlooked” that and had the PD hold the guy. These new guys coming in wont stop being jerks when Trump leaves office, and a lot of my coworkers feel like they gotta stay to make sure things go back to being sane. Damn Trump. Damn the Barbie he put in charge, and damn Homan. I swore an oath to the constitution just like they did, but I refuse to wipe my behind with it just because the dictator decided he doesn’t like brown people.
Top-Place-2521 , maricicmihajlo Report
Im always reminded that when my sister tried to join ICE she was deemed unfit during the psych evaluation for being too empathetic but passed all the physical qualifications. That was in the early 2000’s when it was just forming. That tells you ALL you need to know about how much of a psychopath you need to be to be accepted. This is especially true when you realize they LOWERED THE STANDARDS under Trump because they couldn’t get enough qualified people to join. .
Appropriate_Host4170 , freepik Report
My older brother who is technically a white nationalist is a mexican boy from san diego who believes over half the people around him are leeches and illegals and that by putting them “where they belong” will suddenly make him more successful. He was kicked out of police academy for something I was never told but he swears it was some “black guy” with a vendetta. He just recently joined ICE but he got arrested for substance charges last week, meanwhile my sister gets detained by ICE for a couple hours visiting her bf and he victim blames her saying she dresses gay and weird so she’s an obvious suspect. Needless to say ICE is where dumb hateful cucks go to feel important.
Lisshopops , bublikhaus Report
If the Trump administration really wanted to set an example with their immigration policy, they would’ve deported convicted felon and sex pest, Ghislaine Maxwell. I mean, she wasn’t born here…
Live_Firefighter972 , Federal Bureau of Prisons Report
My uncle worked for ICE for about 15 years before he retired last year. Family dinners got… complicated. Here’s the thing nobody really talks about: the job attracts two very different types of people. There are folks who genuinely believe they’re protecting communities and following the law as written, and then there are people who were probably looking for any job where they could exercise authority over vulnerable populations. My uncle was the former, but he’d come home with stories about the latter that made his stomach turn. He told me once about a case where they picked up a guy who’d been in the country for 20 years, owned a small restaurant, employed like a dozen people, had kids in college. No criminal record beyond the immigration violation. The guy’s daughter showed up at the detention center and my uncle said watching her beg to see her dad through the glass was one of the worst moments of his career. He processed the paperwork because that was his job, but he stopped sleeping well after that. The cognitive dissonance was real. He’d justify it by saying “I don’t make the laws, I just enforce them,” but you could see it eating at him. He’d talk about actual dangerous people they’d caught—gang members, people with violent records—and feel good about that work. Then in the next breath he’d mention a grandmother getting picked up at a routine check-in after 30 years here, and he’d just… go quiet. What really got to me was how the job changed him. He used to be this warm, joking guy who’d give anyone the shirt off his back. By year 12 or 13, he’d become harder. More suspicious. Started talking about people as “illegals” instead of using their names. My aunt said he’d have nightmares and wouldn’t talk about them. He retired early. Didn’t even make it to his full pension. Last Thanksgiving he’d had a few drinks and admitted he wasn’t sure anymore if he’d done more harm than good. Said the hardest part wasn’t the job itself—it was realizing that following orders doesn’t absolve you of responsibility for the outcomes. I don’t have a clean answer here. I love my uncle. I also think the system he was part of is fundamentally broken and causes immense suffering. Both things are true, and I’ve had to learn to hold that tension without resolving it neatly.
Firm-Struggle8183 , freepik Report
My brother. He went nuts one time when I posted a definition of tyranny on Facebook. I didn’t tag him, didn’t include him in any way. He just saw the definition and took it personally. Later, when I was expressing concerns about my wife, who is an immigrant, he physically attacked me. That’s the kind of person they’re recruiting.
DarwinGhoti , korrawinj Report
Had a friend who, after he graduated, joined ICE. he never struck me as a MAGA or some right wing extremist, so i talked to him about. He said the money was the biggest factor. he didnt go through any training that was mandatory and since im working in mental health, dude came over to my home just so he can practice de-escalation. So i taught him de-escalation and painless/soft restraints. Last time i heard from him, he said he was going to try and get a different job as he couldnt handle all of the screaming and shouting. Honestly i was just shocked he wasnt trained at all. He didnt even know basic restraining techniques (Grab by the upper chest, with your body behind the person, lean back, so they cant hit themselves or others. Painless.) If he didnt come to me, dude would probably break down in tears after some of the stuff i heard he goes through.
Spirited-Mousse1915 , Alrightstock Report
A cousin of mine who it British but lives in the states announced the other month that he was considering joining ICE. My grandmother - a woman that lived in the UK illegally for 60years before getting citizenship - and his own mother let it be known that if he ever returns to the UK he will not be welcome by any family because of the shame he has brought with his ridiculous right wing views. His own brothers have also warned him not to return to the UK.
Soulless–Plague , pixel-shot.com Report
My brother-in-law worked for ICE (past tense). Worked there for decades. He quit about a year ago right before Trump took office. He said “the writing is on the wall and I’m not going to stick around and let my job turn me into a bad guy”. Looks like he was right. For the record, he spent his career working on busting substance smuggling, towards the end it was exclusively focused on hard substances. He wasn’t looking for undocumented people.
keboh , freepik Report
A guy I knew in college was a marine interdiction agent driving boats out of Long Beach intercepting suspected shipments of drugs into the country. He loved it and said it felt meaningful. He left last spring a few moths after Trump took office. He said he was told by his supervisors that in the next few months he was going to be transferred off the boat and onto the streets as a deportation officer. He said he was Border Patrol and not ICE. They said it really wasn’t up to them. So he left. He’s piloting some whale watching cruises now.
tragicallyohio , Hakan Gökgöz Report
My cousin and his wife have been Cali border patrol for over a 15 years. They are terrible parents, both stuck in teenager mentalities, and both pretentious stuck up duchebags. My cousin likes to tell stories about chasing people down in the desert. I haven’t seen them in 5 years and the last time I did, i got in an argument with him about how most of the world actually DOESN’T support the US invading them cause the US is ’not that bad’ compared to most other armies. Like bruh, no.
Pepperonimustardtime , lwymail Report
So I was a contractor for ICE up until September. The long story short is my mom had terminal cancer, and I was at risk of being let go from my government contract if I didn’t take the contract at ICE. I needed the money to take care of my mom. She unfortunately passed away and I stayed for a few months while I was grieving. So I think people need to be specific on what part of ICE they are talking about. There are two main branches HSI (homeland security investigations) and ERO (enforcement and removal operations). ERO are the guys in the streets. HSI handled a lot of white collar crimes and things dealing with contraband materials coming into the country. This administration has shifted them over to handling stuff in the streets. And the open secret of HSI is they don’t like what they are doing. And view it was a waste of taxpayer money. ERO is the devil. I think what ICE is doing abhorrent and evil, and though I wasn’t directly involved I also do deserve to be held accountable for my actions. And I believe answering questions like this is part of my penance. Edit: being downvoted for actually answering the actual question Edit: let me clarify, they are pulling people from HSI and CBP to do the patrols and deportations for ICE as well.
Super-Ordinary-8507 , anatoliifoto Report
I had a friend who started working for CBP/ICE before all this started. He still works there now so we are not friends. He has adopted Latino children too, how could you look at your kids during your court appointed visitation after you just ruined thousands of people’s lives for looking like your kids? How do you explain that to teenagers you’re supposed to protect?
craaates , DC Studio Report
My uncle has worked for ICE for over a decade. He is a piece of garbage and I remind my family that he will suffer in the afterlife for what he has done. I haven’t talked to him for atleast 7 years. Edit: Yes, I agree that he should suffer in this lifetime too, multiple times over for the amount of pain and suffering he has caused families.
TheMachineElves , The Yuri Arcurs Collection Report
I’m a teacher and a few months back our students had a walkout to protest ICE due to a prominent local figure being arrested and deported. Pretty much everyone went outside, even kids who really didn’t care, because it meant they could skip a class without any real consequence. I was covering a class of kids I really didn’t know after the protest. One kid said to another “Hey, how come you didn’t go out?” and he meekly and quietly responded “My dad works for ICE.” I felt bad for the kid, and he was clearly uncomfortable with it.
majorjoe23 , freepik Report
My brother works for ICE. I am pissed at him and generally don’t talk to him. He started going full MAGA just before joining ICE and completely drinks the cool-aid now. He dropped out of college, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. He lives in another state, so I don’t have to associate with him. He talks to my other family members about how all immigrants are serious and dangerous criminals and he thinks he’s doing God’s work. He refuses to see that Jesus actually taught us to love our neighbor (i.e. immigrants).
strikerhawk , nomadsoul1 Report
I have three cousins that work for ICE and at least one friend’s spouse. They all work in more specialized roles like human trafficking, substances, and cybersecurity. They’re all pissed at the new policies. To quote one of them “You want me arresting and deporting the guy doing your roof rather that intercepting substance shipments? How does that make us more safe?” EDIT: Just removed a detail I decided I shouldn’t have shared about where they are in the organization. Probably too little too late, but whatever. Edit 2: I am well aware that they are morally complicit and I am deeply disappointed that they are. If I were in their position, I probably would have quit.
Boomer0962 , fxquadro Report
I was a test proctor that would proctor ICE exams’ about 13yrs ago. I saw it then. They were the biggest abusers out of everyone coming through the testing center. Everyone had to follow the rules which meant no hats, no paper, not jewelry etc. They would have a meltdown every time. I actually quit because of them because of how awful they were. I was not very political then and actually didn’t even know what they did. I just remember them for being bullies. BTW… people testing for insurance certifications were the best!
MurrayMyBoy , golubovystock Report
My closeted racist cousin’s husband joined and dropped the news at Christmas. It went over like a lead balloon. He’s an ex PA state trooper who foolishly quit to open a brewery (failed) and a restaurant (failing). He’s also a degenerate gambler who likely has large gambling debts. He signed up because of the $50k bonus and overtime opportunities. Figured he can make $150k-$200k this year. Nevermind he has to relocate to Michigan and is leaving my cousin to close down the restaurant, sell their home, and wrap up her nursing career at the local hospital. Her parents completely disapprove and this is both their second marriages. Doing whatever it takes to make it work but going right over the cliff in the process with him. It makes me sad because she’s attractive and always has had a good career & work ethic. Just married two guys who are incredibly poor husbands.
MRG_1977 , Wavebreak Media Report
If you’s have any passing interest, look up the Black and Tans and how they were deployed in Ireland around 1920. The similarities to ICE (their recruitment and brutality towards normal people) is shocking. Spoiler alert, they were DESPISED by the Irish, and have gone down in history as unqualified thugs, given a license to dispense their cruelty.
Boulder1983 , National Library of Ireland on The Commons Report
I don’t have family, but we had friends over the other day and the daughter came over, she just got out of the army. She had friends that also just got out, and quite a few joined ICE… i was like WTF??? The example of the kid that joined was: “He has 4 kids and needs the money” he was also Hispanic not not a natural born citizen, it was 100% for the money. We have s lot of desperate people in this nation…
EKEEFE41 , syda_productions Report
Exactly what you would think. My bigoted, hateful, sociopath of a BIL was military for 20 years and did “contract” jobs for the federal government. He still is so I highly suspect he’s part of it. I’m waiting to see him show up on the lists to confirm my suspicions. We’re no contact with that side so I only hear rumblings from other family to what he’s up to.
yasqueen2017 , prostooleh Report
Ooo! I can contribute!!! My cousin has been with Border Patrol (I know, not exactly ICE, but they work pretty closely), for 25 years! I just talked with her on the phone. She went from going after actual criminals, and the absolute worst scum here illegally…..to going after little old lady housekeepers and people who have been here for decades that are easy to locate, and deporting them. SHE HATED IT. Finally retired. Said all her co workers who used to enjoy going after the bad guys are now also retiring or leaving. Trump has them going after low hanging fruit. And she also said the people they are hiring are incompetent and no background checks. Her last month of retirement, two of the new hires had to be escorted out when it was discovered 1 of them beat up the bus driver transporting from the academy. The other one, come to find out, was a violent serial rapist. She was so happy to turn in her badge and gun.
Single_With_Cats , HelloDavidPradoPerucha Report
Farquade , freepik Report
My nephew just started community college and he’s been having a really hard time finding a job (about a year now) - he called me crying because he has gotten a flyer or something to go work for ice but he doesn’t want everyone to hate him. I’m still funneling him as much money as I can since nobody else can. It does really feel that they’re trying to create desperation to increase applications.
Mister_Brevity , katemangostar Report
Cousin who took up with ICE 6mos ago, he is the black sheep of the family to begin with, hyper insecure, always been a gun guy, security guard at few different places, always a bit fearful of things.
Jeefcbus , freepik Report
I have a second cousin in CBP that I spent a lot of time with as a kid. He was a bully as a kid, he’s still a bully 35 years later.
Notimetowrite76 , freepik Report
My uncle works for ICE and he’s a good man who genuinely believes he’s protecting the country, but he’s also the same guy who calls his own sister “hysterical” when she gets upset. The real problem is that the job attracts people who are already wired to see threats everywhere, and it just reinforces that worldview. It’s not about good or bad people, it’s about how the system itself rewards a certain kind of paranoia.
Tudragon123456 , Wavebreak Media Report
My sister in law just joined (who I do love very much). It’s heartbreaking for me in a way I can’t describe. She lives in Kansas and is a college grad, but couldn’t find work anywhere and is excited for benefits. I told her that once she works for ICE, she’ll never find work ever again. Once the dust settles, this is basically the Scarlett A.
718Brooklyn , freepik Report
I have a brother in ICE and one that’s Border Patrol. They’ve both been with their respective units for a long time but I’ve still cut them out of my life. Haven’t spoken to either in a year. They both voted for this, told my sister that “Trump was good for their job.” I guess becoming a pig is cool if it’s good for your pocketbook.
Weekly-Influence2583 , pressmaster Report
A journalist was offered a job with little vetting, a failed substance test, and dates of “passing background checks” after her start date
BBinzz , gpointstudio Report
I’m disgusted by my father. I feel burdened by what he’s doing. Even if he’s one of the few that are not directly involved in the chaos happening on the streets of Minnesota, he’s still working in CBP.
AccomplishedSense897 , vladibulgakov Report
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