What Does it Mean to be “Anti-ICE”?

“You’re protecting pedophiles, murderers and rapists if you’re anti-ICE!”

What defines the worse of the worst? In September 2025, Trump started Operation Patriot 2.0 in Massachusetts with the goal to target “the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens”. Secretary Trisha McLaughlin stated, “ICE is arresting rapists, child abusers, drug traffickers, and other violent thugs. Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, nowhere is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens. If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return”.

Gotta say, I’m not against this goal. There is a special place in Hell for those who victimize people physically weaker or who have found themselves in active addiction. Not a single person I’ve ever spoken to would advocate for any right – other than their Miranda Rights, for one of these Predators.

So, we can all agree on that, right? If that’s so, why is there such a continental divide between Pro and Anti-ICE supporters? In today’s post, I’ll lay out what being anti-ICE means to me by examining what their real job is, the recent shootings, and their arrest records.

ICE Jurisdiction

Let’s start with a short history of ICE and an examination of their Charter. ICE is governed by Title 8, and the whole regulation is shown here.

Their primary role is immigration enforcement. They have very limited capabilities outside of detaining those in violation of immigration policies. Here is the WHOLE section from Title 8 that documents the arrest process without a warrant:

§ 287.3 Disposition of cases of aliens arrested without warrant.

(a) Examination. An alien arrested without a warrant of arrest under the authority contained in section 287(a)(2) of the Act will be examined by an officer other than the arresting officer. If no other qualified officer is readily available and the taking of the alien before another officer would entail unnecessary delay, the arresting officer, if the conduct of such examination is a part of the duties assigned to him or her, may examine the alien.

(b) Determination of proceedings. If the examining officer is satisfied that there is prima facie evidence that the arrested alien was entering, attempting to enter, or is present in the United States in violation of the immigration laws, the examining officer will refer the case to an immigration judge for further inquiry in accordance with 8 CFR parts 235, 239, or 240, order the alien removed as provided for in section 235(b)(1) of the Act and § 235.3(b) of this chapter, or take whatever other action may be appropriate or required under the laws or regulations applicable to the particular case.

(c) Notifications and information. Except in the case of an alien subject to the expedited removal provisions of section 235(b)(1)(A) of the Act, an alien arrested without warrant and placed in formal proceedings under section 238 or 240 of the Act will be advised of the reasons for his or her arrest and the right to be represented at no expense to the Government. The examining officer will provide the alien with a list of the available free legal services provided by organizations and attorneys qualified under 8 CFR part 1003 and organizations recognized under § 292.2 of this chapter or 8 CFR 1292.2 that are located in the district where the hearing will be held. The examining officer shall note on Form I-862 that such a list was provided to the alien. The officer will also advise the alien that any statement made may be used against him or her in a subsequent proceeding.

(d) Custody procedures. Unless voluntary departure has been granted pursuant to subpart C of 8 CFR part 240, a determination will be made within 48 hours of the arrest, except in the event of an emergency or other extraordinary circumstance in which case a determination will be made within an additional reasonable period of time, whether the alien will be continued in custody or released on bond or recognizance and whether a notice to appear and warrant of arrest as prescribed in 8 CFR parts 236 and 239 will be issued.

When it comes to U.S. Citizens, ICE can only arrest them if they are obstructing. DHS states, “Anyone who actively obstructs law enforcement in the performance of their sworn duties, including U.S. citizens, will of course face consequences which include arrest”.

Defining obstruction is difficult. I couldn’t find anything from DHS that defines it. I did find a definition in Minnesota when it comes to obstructing an officer, which may be important in the next section when we talk about ICE shootings. Here’s the MN definition: (1) obstructs, hinders, or prevents the lawful execution of any legal process, civil or criminal, or apprehension of another on a charge or conviction of a criminal offense.

In summary, ICE has processes and procedures in place for arresting without a warrant, and clear limitations when it comes to U.S. Citizens. With that understanding, let’s look at the ICE Shootings of Alex Pretti, Renee Good, Marimar Martinez, and Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis.

ICE Shootings

Renee Good: Renee was shot three times through her front windshield and side window while driving her Honda Pilot away from the scene of an ongoing ICE hullaballoo. At the time, Renee had her vehicle parked at an angle facing into traffic. The vehicle was blocking one lane of a two-lane road. Importantly, the road she was on was a one-way, meaning an entire lane was still open for ICE.

Jonathan Ross approached her vehicle, standing in front of it. Renee turned her wheels all the way to the right and attempted to drive away from the scene. Jonathan Ross alleges that she was attempting to run him over and fired the first shot through the windshield. He was then clear from the vehicle – before firing two more shots directly into Renee through the side driver’s window.

Your opinion on Renee’s choices that led to the first shot are your own. The second and third shot, though.. I can’t see how those were at all necessary to stop an active threat. Ross was completely clear of the vehicle at that point.

DHS called her a domestic terrorist.

Alex Pretti: Alex Pretti was observing ICE in the Eat Street neighborhood. He and other protesters were approached by an ICE agent, who shoved one of the female protesters to the ground. Alex attempted to help the woman to her feet, putting his hand up to prevent the ICE officer from physically reaching the woman again. ICE agents pile onto Alex Pretti, beating the ever-loving shit out of him. They then notice that Alex has a pistol in a holster, which is quickly confiscated while the agent yells “Gun!”. What happens next is still disputed, but it is believed that Alex’s gun “went off by itself”, triggering a hail of fire from the ICE agents attacking Alex.

Importantly, Alex at no point moved toward his gun. He did not attempt to palm it, let alone “pull it on the officers”. Alex was a legal permit to carry holder in the state of Minnesota.

Alex was called a domestic terrorist.

Marimar Martinez: Marimar Martinez was tailing ICE as a legal observer when she allegedly “ran her vehicle into an ICE vehicle”, prompting officers to take defensive actions – shooting her 5 times. Recent bodycam footage from the ICE agent’s perspective shows that ICE hit her vehicle, then hopped out and let off 5 rounds. At the time of the shooting, Martinez had a legal carry gun in her purse. She made no attempt to use it against officers.

Marimar was called a domestic terrorist.

Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis: Julio is a Venezuelan National who was shot by ICE after allegedly attacking them with a broom handle. DHS opened their own investigation into this claim, and found that the ICE agents responsible lied under oath about the circumstances of the shooting. What seems to have actually occurred is that Julio threw the broom handle in the general direction of the ICE agents before fleeing into the house. ICE shot him through the front door of his home, striking him in the leg.

With these four shootings, we can see the HUGE liberties ICE is taking with their powers and duties as laid out in Title 8. Law Enforcement officers encounter opposition, armed suspects and chaos all the time. They rarely end in a fatal shooting.

ICE False Arrests

Here is a story I heard from an awesome lady I met fishing in South Padre Island. She’s an insurance agent, and insures a lot of immigrant owned businesses and rental properties. She just had to handle a case where ICE picked up a legal immigrant who is a business and rental owner, refused to look at his papers, and took him to Texas. They released him once they finally realized he was legal, but didn’t provide a way home for him. It took him a week and a half to find his own way back.

In another case, a Hmong man had his door busted down and was removed forcefully from his home IN HIS BEEFY HANES. He was a legal U.S. Citizen and ICE had no reason to EVER come for him. But, they did. You can read his story on PBS.

George Retes, a Marine Corps veteran, was arrested by ICE when attempting to go to work as a security guard for a legal Cannabis growing operation. ICE claimed he obstructed their operation, arrested him, lost himin the system for three days, and didn’t allow him access to contact his family or a lawyer. You can read his story, and many more stories, at ProPublica.

Here’s the cherry on top of this awful sundae. From Reuters, “Hundreds of judges around the country have ruled more than 4,400 times since October that President Donald Trump’s administration is detaining immigrants unlawfully”.

It’s not just the worst of the worst they’re after. It’s not even just immigrants. From the outside, it looks like a blind rampage against anyone guilty of the crime of being brown and having an accent. Pick them all up, figure out which ones are actually targets later, and release the rest without means to get themselves home.

Conclusion

I hope this sheds some light on what being “anti-ICE” really means. I don’t want murderers, rapists, and pedophiles on the street. I also don’t want masked thugs terrorizing the immigrant community in an all-out frenzy trying to meet quotas. I don’t want to see people shot by ICE simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time and chose to use their first amendment rights. I don’s want to see legal permit to carry holders called domestic terrorists simply for carrying the weapons their second amendments allow them. I don’t want to see ICE breaking down doors, stomping all over the fourth amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure.

In short, I’m for what ICE is supposed to be doing. I’m against everything they’re actually doing.