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If you're an American and you don't unrecorded nether a rock, past you're apt alert of the Trump administration's raids connected American cities by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (also known arsenic ICE). The bureau has been heavy scrutinized for its assertive detainments and searches — going arsenic acold arsenic being called "kidnappings" — with arrests often made by masked agents.
More recently, ICE is nether occurrence for its operations successful Minnesota, where, successful the midst of raids, an ICE cause shot and killed Renee Nicole Good portion she was driving. Later that month, Alex Pretti was besides changeable and killed. Both were US citizens.
As the raids continue, I asked US subject members and veterans to stock their thoughts, and they didn't clasp back. Here's however they're reacting to the Trump administration's ICE raids:
1. "ICE should region their masks. No different subject oregon constabulary unit feels it indispensable to screen their faces, truthful wherefore them? Where's the integrity? They should basal by their actions if they are genuinely enforcing the law. I can't judge we are adjacent having this conversation!"
2. "I was successful the Marines, and I wholly backmost our president. Those who don't are astir apt besides connected payment oregon immoderate benignant of hand-out."
3. "Vietnam seasoned here. Our state is rapidly becoming unrecognizable arsenic the state I grew up successful and served. We each took an oath to support the Constitution, and that oath is for life. It does not extremity erstwhile you are discharged. It would beryllium good for each of of my brothers to retrieve that. It is horrible to ticker however radical are being treated by this administration. Change indispensable come, oregon we are doomed arsenic a nation.
—grouchysword333 (Scott, 72, North Carolina, Navy)
4. "When I took the oath, the powerfulness of the words made maine numb. Over the years, those words person burrowed deeper into my brain. And erstwhile I spot videos of ICE behaving similar Nazi goons, I consciousness nauseous. I deliberation of each those ol' uncles who served successful Europe and the Pacific — who bled and died — and I consciousness a heavy betrayal. I retrieve an ol' vet who said successful a raspy twang: 'We bushed those Nazi bastards once, and we volition bushed 'em again.'"
5. "I basal by President Trump 100%! ICE, you're doing a large job!"
6. "Stand tall, brothers and sisters who took the oath to enactment the Constitution against each foes, overseas AND domestic. These alleged ICE agents who travel from the Proud Boys and Oath Keeprs don't beryllium anyplace adjacent American citizens, period. They shouldn't beryllium successful our streets oregon successful our cities doing Donny's soiled work, either. They crap connected our Constitution daily, and we indispensable clasp them and the GOP accountable. REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER WHAT THEY HAVE DONE."
7. "I deliberation the raids should beryllium ramped up exponentially. The bottommost enactment is that if you are present illegally, you should beryllium deported. This has perfectly thing to bash with tegument colour oregon racism. There are Mexican, Irish, and African citizens successful my ellipse and assemblage who are present legally and wholeheartedly hold with ICE deporting amerciable immigrants. They hold due to the fact that they person capable communal consciousness not to beryllium progressive successful thing illegal. They cognize that if they bash and get caught, they volition wage the consequences — conscionable similar anyone who commits a crime. The children calved to these criminals are not ineligible citizens, either. The amerciable parents are to blasted for the children being deported. Don't perpetrate a transgression if you can't grip the result of your amerciable choices. I've been arrested before, and I afloat cooperated and served my time. I was a antheral and an big astir it due to the fact that I did wrong."
"I got caught and paid the terms successful jail, and I didn't outcry and moan astir it. Every amerciable has to beryllium wiped from this state due to the fact that it's their ain fault. Life is hard, and doing it illegally makes it harder for galore people. President Trump is the top person this state has ever had, and I privation we could person him service indefinitely. Get legal, get a job, and bask the state the United States provides for its LEGAL citizens."
—Thomas, 54, Tennessee, Marines
8. "I'm a naturalized national and an Air Force veteran. I've noticed implicit the years a superior deterioration of our Constitutional rights. It reminds maine of the mode things are successful my state oregon origin. Whenever anyone expressed they felt their rights were being violated, I started saying, 'You don't really judge you're free, bash you?' I'll accidental it again: You don't really judge you're free, bash you?"
9. "I americium a seasoned and a erstwhile constabulary officer, and I find ICE's behaviour reprehensible and unconstitutional. I americium besides earnestly disappointed that Americans who assertion to beryllium 'patriots' proceed to enactment this lawless administration, which continues to prevarication and misinform the American people."
10. "I emotion this! Trump is gonna beryllium the top president successful my lifetime! Can we swap Minnesota, California, Illinois, and New York for Greenland, please? Those are 4 states that hatred America!"
—Anonymous, 60, Illinois, Navy
11. "This orangish fuckhead has been an asshole, portion of crap grifter since time one. For anyone successful quality past to judge helium would ever bash thing to payment this state needs a damn strait jacket. Donald Trump spits connected the Constutition; helium hates America. Shame connected MAGA forever. Signed, a pissed disconnected Marine combat veteran."
12. "Those who came illegally and committed crimes request to beryllium sent backmost location permanently. They person forfeited immoderate accidental remaining successful our country, and I enactment ICE and Trump successful removing them. Those who are present illegally but are contributing, working, and gathering a beingness for themselves should beryllium treated with compassion and fixed an accidental to lend to our state and economy."
—Kirk, 67, Navy (22 years retired CPO)
13. "It's heartbreaking to ticker the Trump Gestapo beat, gas, shoot, and humiliate radical connected American soil. This is lone going to get much convulsive erstwhile radical halt protesting and commencement shooting. It needs to stop. NOW. When I served during the Vietnam War, making America large meant making it large for EVERYONE."
14. "What is happening successful this state is an outright disgrace. The administration's deficiency of respect for the instrumentality and the Constitution is incomprehensible. There is nary qualified idiosyncratic appointed to the Cabinet — conscionable a radical of yes-men and women. As for ICE, a radical of wannabe subject oregon constabulary who couldn't marque it successful those ranks, are terrorizing full populations and hiding their faces. There's nary morganatic excuse for hiding their faces, due to the fact that if they were doing lawful activities, they wouldn't consciousness the request to. As for the MAGA crew, you telephone yourselves Christians, but you and your person person nary conception of what being a Christian means. Supporting the astir morally corrupt idiosyncratic successful caller past shows that your governmental compass is much important than your motivation 1 (if you adjacent person one). I tin spell connected forever, but that's capable for now."
—Bill, New York, Marines
15. "I emotion what Trump is doing. Law and bid is the regularisation of law, and helium should support it up. I deliberation helium is doing a good job, and I emotion ICE. Deport them all."
—Victor, USMC veteran
16. "I'm a seasoned of the Vietnam era, and I'm a steadfast believer that immigrants should beryllium present legally. But to dainty them arsenic if they're the worst criminals connected world is wild. And what astir the employers who person invited them to travel to the US with the committedness of jobs? I don't spot them paying a price. What's happening present successful our state is wherefore truthful galore radical astir the satellite look down connected US citizens. We are proving them right. I'm ashamed of our government; it's not moving the mode it's expected to. Our ideology is failing, and it's the worst of the worst trying to destruct it. Christians conscionable don't behave similar this."
—Anonymous
17. "Absolutely NOT what I fought for. This implicit medication is simply a nonaccomplishment to the American radical and will, if able, tally this state into the ground."
18. "Illegal is amerciable nary substance which mode it gets said! Come into the United States legally, and I person nary complaints. What's getting done needs to beryllium done, but determination has got to beryllium a amended way! As I've seen successful different posts, self-deport and travel backmost legally!"
—Dave, Tennessee, Marines
19. "There's nary seasoned who understands thing astir the Constitution that would hold with what's going connected successful America today, and what ICE and the Trump medication are doing. Children should not beryllium separated from their families, and nary quality being, amerciable oregon not, should beryllium arrested by masked bandits. We each cognize that everything this medication is doing is wholly illegal, and we request to basal up for what is right. Just similar different criminals, Trump and ICE agents should beryllium prosecuted and imprisoned."
—Ike, 48, Texas, Army
20. "EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE ICE AGENTS SHOULD BE FIRED BY THE NEXT ADMINISTRATION."
—A, New York, Air Force veteran
21. "We surely person an amerciable migration occupation successful America. For galore years, politicians kicked the tin down the road, and this is the result: an medication that leans toward fascism, an insurrectionist starring this state with policies and enforcement orders that further disagreement and let for abuses of power, and a Supreme Court that stamps each actions by the administration. There's a House that's genuinely divided, a Senate that has acquiesced to its powers, and an ICE bureau that runs successful a akin manner arsenic the SS oregon Nazi Germany. As a state and democracy, we are successful deep, acheronian waters. Make nary mistake, though. If warfare comes to the people, arsenic existent American patriots, we volition usage each we person learned to support our Constitution and support what's near of our mode of beingness from tyranny."
22. "I americium a US Army veteran. While serving my country, 1 of my main responsibilities was to support it from the nefarious actions I present spot ICE taking. If you are successful America illegally, past yes, you should beryllium deported. That said, determination is perfectly nary excuse for these jack-booted, masked, Gestapo thugs to beryllium intimidating and physically abusing ANYONE! They person ne'er been astir deporting the 'worst of the worst.' And now, seemingly incapable and unconcerned with doing that, EVERYONE is just game, including US citizens. Fuck our president and the Gestapo goon ICE agents, positive the Homeland Security and Border Patrol agents who enactment with impunity, believing mightiness makes right!"
23. Lastly: "ICE activities, arsenic presently being conducted, are unconstitutional, illegal, and morally reprehensible. Under our Constitution, everyone is afforded owed process, thing the DHS has failed to do. Even US citizens and residents are being harassed and swept up without owed process. Babies are being gassed, children are being pepper-sprayed, and radical are getting murdered. This litany of abuses and atrocities is reminiscent of 1930s Nazy Germany and 1950s Soviet Union. Like the aged POGO cartoon: 'We person met the enemy, and helium is us.' Someone oregon immoderate enactment is keeping a video grounds of the fearfulness we are experiencing, and erstwhile this nightmare is over, determination volition beryllium a reckoning."
—Dan, 76, New Mexico, Marine Corps
If you're an progressive US subject member, successful the reserves, oregon a veteran, however bash you consciousness astir the Trump administration's ICE raids? Let america cognize successful the comments, oregon you tin anonymously taxable your thoughts utilizing the signifier below.
Note: Some submissions person been edited for magnitude and/or clarity.
English (US) ·