With the second year of Donald Trump’s second presidency, tensions are rising as he continues to turn a democratic country into a dictatorship. 2026 comes with more of the same for the Trump administration as they introduce this year’s agenda.  

A top priority is cracking down on the “illegal aliens” who cross the U.S. border. According to their plan, “American people deserve to live peacefully without incursions of illegal aliens across our borders. A strong immigration system enforces U.S. law, secures our borders, and preserves our national integrity”.  So, if you visit the U.S. and are feeling unsafe because of these “illegal aliens”, don’t hesitate to confide in one of the ICE agents. In fact, there are plenty to go around, with Donald Trump increasing their numbers by 120 percent last year, including deploying 2,000 agents to Minneapolis at the beginning of 2026.  

Who are ICE Agents?

ICE is the federal United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, responsible for the Department of Homeland Security investigations and removal operations against people who are in the U.S. illegally. As granted by U.S. constitutional law, ICE agents can detain, search, and arrest people they suspect of illegally being in the U.S., without needing a judicial warrant. Additionally, they can detain and search people who are crossing the U.S. border.  

ICE agents also have the liberty of using reasonable and necessary force if someone they suspect of illegally being in the country resists arrest. These officers can also use lethal force in certain circumstances. However, do Americans enacting their First Amendment right to assemble qualify as a “certain circumstance” in which ICE agents can use their “reasonable and necessary force” to murder people? Apparently they do, because this appalling abuse of power will help restore the U.S. to its golden age, so that all Americans can flourish.  

Now wait. Are you a person of colour? Are you queer? Are you an immigrant? Are you a woman? Are you a person with a disability? Are you literally anything other than a rich, white, cisgender, able-bodied and straight man? Oh, then sorry, but you actually don’t get to flourish under this “stabler, stronger, and safer America”.  

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ICE in Italy?

Now, if you’re sitting there thinking to yourself, “It’s good that the U.S. is safe, but what about everyone else?”, don’t worry, because the ICE agents will be travelling to Italy to support diplomatic security during the Olympics.  

Giuseppe Sala, Milan mayor, is not happy about this news, stating that: “This is a militia that kills, a militia that enters into the homes of people, signing their own permission slips. It is clear they are not welcome in Milan, without a doubt.” 

Sources who confirmed ICE’s participation in the Olympics stated that they are purely there to support diplomatic security and will not run immigration enforcement operations. Well, I should sure hope not, because why would U.S. ICE agents be concerned about immigration in Italy? The sheer ego of the Trump administration in thinking that they have any right to bring these racist officers to the Olympics for their “own diplomatic security” is mind-blowing, considering that the only reason why these diplomats need security is that they have made most of the world hate them. The Trump administration, with its bumbling buffoon of a leader, has ruined what little recognition the world had for them as a democratic and reasonable country. Now, heads of state and government worldwide laugh and mock this once great country, as it falls to pieces at the hands of an orange. 

Backlash Against ICE 

But I shouldn’t get too ahead of myself; some U.S. citizens reject the ideals and actions of the Trump administration. Protests are happening all over the country and have increased after ICE murdered Renee Good on January 7th and Alex Pretti on January 24th. In response to these fatal shootings, the Trump administration stated that the ICE agents were acting out of self-defense after Ms. Good used her vehicle as a weapon and Mr. Pretti approached with a 9mm semi-automatic handgun. However, state and local officials have rejected the claim against Renee Good, arguing that she did not try to attack the ICE agent, but steered her car away from them. In Alex Pretti’s case, video evidence suggests that Pretti did not have the gun in his hand when he was shot because he had been shoved to the ground by a border patrol officer.  

Trump even responded to Alex Pretti’s unfortunate accident by stating, “I don’t like any shooting. I don’t like it. But I don’t like it when somebody goes into a protest, and he’s got a very powerful, fully loaded gun with two magazines loaded up with bullets also. That doesn’t play good either”.  

In response to the Trump administration’s excuse for why ICE shot Alex Pretti, Brian O’Hara — the Minneapolis police chief — stated that Mr. Pretti had a permit to carry his gun. According to Minnesota law, citizens can obtain permits to carry handguns in public. 

Wyatt Souer/Peoples Dispatch

Now that the ICE agent issue has begun impacting the precious republican necessity to own a gun, even some republicans are beginning to change their minds about how much they support Trump. For instance, Republican Vermont Governor Phil Scott said that it is “not acceptable for American citizens to be killed by federal agents for exercising their God-given and constitutional rights to protest their government”. 

 A poll by SRSS was conducted from January 9th to 12th and found that: 51 percent of respondents think that ICE is making cities less safe, with 31 percent arguing the opposite; 56 percent of respondents believe that the shooting of Renee Good was an inappropriate use of force by ICE, while 26 percent think that ICE used an appropriate amount of force; and 90 percent of respondents believe that the shooting of Good was an inappropriate use of force and reflects a larger issue of how ICE is operating, with 10 percent thinking that the shooting was an inappropriate use of force, but was an isolated incident.  

As I witness what the Trump administration thinks is “making America great again”, I am horrified by their blatant disregard for human rights. Nobody is illegal on stolen land, and nobody should die because of a manchild’s temper tantrum over human-made country borders.