Skip to main content

ice, ice baby. gotta abolish ice and have warm chaos!

 

“Abolish ICE”: When the Message Was Hot, But the Strategy Was Frozen


Another day, another slogan that makes a good idea sound like a threat. And today’s icy disaster is brought to you by:

ABOLISH ICE.

Yes. Abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement—the agency formed in 2003 as part of the post-9/11 security frenzy and which somehow evolved into a turbo-charged deportation machine with the subtlety of a wrecking ball and the compassion of a DMV possessed by a ghost from Schindler’s List.

Was it absolutely necessary to call attention to ICE's abuses? Yes.
Did we need to push back against family separation, deportation quotas, and treating every immigrant like a cartel leader in disguise? Also yes.
Did we have to call it “abolish ICE” and send half the country into a panic attack? Apparently… yes?

 What Was Meant: “Hey, This Agency Is Out of Control”

ICE under Trump (and to a lesser extent under previous presidents too) became notorious for:

  • Ripping children from their parents and losing track of them like they were USB drives,

  • Raiding workplaces at dawn and terrorizing entire communities,

  • Detaining asylum seekers indefinitely in privately-run facilities that made Motel 6 look like the Ritz.

Activists saw this and thought:

“This isn’t working. This system needs to be dismantled, reimagined, and replaced with something humane.”

But instead of saying that, they screamed:

“ABOLISH ICE!”

And moderate America heard:

“So we’re just not doing border security now? Cool, cool. Should I cancel my passport and just print one at Kinko’s?”

 What Could’ve Been Said (But Wasn’t):

  • “Reform immigration enforcement.”

  • “End family separation policies.”

  • “Hold ICE accountable.”

  • “Dismantle Trump-era detention policies.”

All of which would’ve:

  • Made sense,

  • Not induced panic in swing states,

  • Still addressed the real problem.

But no—activism said, “Let’s light the whole acronym on fire and see what happens.”

 Political Fallout: Predictable as Hell

Republicans responded with the usual calm and grace:

“Democrats want open borders, free iPhones for MS-13, and sanctuary cities where ICE agents are hunted for sport.”

And what could Democrats say?

Some distanced themselves:
“I don’t support abolishing ICE, just, uh… a more humane version of ICE?”

Others doubled down:
“No human is illegal! Also, abolish all borders!”

Meanwhile, people who just wanted a reasonable, lawful, and compassionate immigration system quietly backed away, holding their U.S. passports like crucifixes.

 The Real Ice-Cold Truth

Here’s what got lost in the shouting:

 The U.S. does need immigration enforcement—but not the kind that looks like a militarized kidnapping squad.
 ICE has been given way too much power with too little oversight.
 There are better models that prioritize human rights, smart prioritization, and actual due process.
 No one wants criminals running free—but most people deported were not violent criminals. They were parents, workers, students, and people seeking refuge.

But none of that nuance fits on a protest sign or goes viral in 280 characters.

 Final Thoughts: Can We Cool It With the Branding?

“Abolish ICE” didn’t mean chaos.
But it sounded like chaos.
And in politics, sounding like chaos is often worse than actual chaos.

You want people to join the cause, not run from it screaming “they’re coming for the Constitution!”

So here’s a humble proposal:

  • Want ICE to stop abusing human rights? Great.

  • Want a rational, just immigration system? Absolutely.

  • Want to yell “abolish ICE” without clarifying what replaces it? Maybe… don’t?

In Conclusion: Reform the System. Keep the Message from Sounding Like a Revolution Run by Tumblr.

If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably not trying to deport people for existing—but you also don’t want to abolish every federal agency with a problematic record. That’s growth, baby.

Let’s push for:

  • Immigration reform that’s smart, humane, and enforceable.

  • Messaging that doesn’t sound like a fever dream written by someone on a caffeine cleanse and a Marxist TikTok binge.

Because real change requires real strategy.
And catchy slogans should help the cause—not freeze it in place.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Innovation Paradox: Why Basic Security Fuels Progress

  The Innovation Paradox: Why Basic Security Fuels Progress When I was a child, I had everything I needed - a home, food, education, and medical care when I got sick. This security didn't make me lazy. Instead, it gave me the foundation to learn, grow, and imagine. This simple truth holds a powerful lesson for how we should structure our society. Some argue that removing the struggle for survival would kill innovation. They paint a picture of a world where, freed from necessity, humans would stagnate in comfortable mediocrity. But this argument fundamentally misunderstands both human nature and the real barriers to innovation in our current system. The cruel irony is that the very conditions supposedly driving innovation - constant financial pressure, expensive healthcare, crushing student debt, and housing insecurity - are actually suffocating it. How can someone innovate when they're working multiple jobs just to keep a roof over their head? How can they take the entrep...
Post a Comment
Read more

masculinity

Masculinity   Is masculinity dead? Is it the fault of some feminist or gay agenda? Was it caused by the bun-wearing guys with lattes and avocado toasts? Was it due to the unholy atheists? Of course not. But there are unfortunately a lot of people who think this way, especially those who believe that masculinity is really on the decline. But is it really? Some people want there to be a single mold for men: tough, rugged, thick-skinned, fearless, always pushing himself to the limit, willing to die for his country, willing to provide for his wife and children, believing in God, being heterosexual, peeing while standing, and rejecting anything deemed feminine. Who fits this mold? Very few men do. And here's the thing: most men never fit that mold, nor had they ever. Throughout history and across cultures, masculinity has always been far more diverse and nuanced than modern critics would have us believe. In ancient Greece, for philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, masculinity was deepl...
Post a Comment
Read more

What Really Scares Me (And What Doesn’t)

  What Really Scares Me (And What Doesn’t) By Tim Friday People talk a lot about what they fear—things like ghosts, flying, spiders. But my fears are simpler. More grounded. Real. I fear dog attacks. I’ve been attacked before, more than once, without provocation. The worst part isn’t just the trauma of the bite or the shock—it’s the way people defend it. They say things like, “It must’ve sensed something,” or “Dogs only attack if provoked.” As if I deserved it. That gaslighting hurts worse than the teeth. I fear car crashes. I’ve already been in a few. Minor, maybe, by insurance standards, but not by mine. I know what that impact feels like. The snap of the seatbelt. The sound of metal folding in on itself. I’ve had close calls too—so close I thought, This might be it. That terror doesn’t fade. It lingers under my skin when I drive. I fear being assaulted. That should be a no-brainer. And yes, even men like me get assaulted. I’ve been hit, shoved, screamed at, threatened—u...
Post a Comment
Read more