Opinion | Trump Is Waging War on Americans With ICE

Trump is using ICE to wage war on American citizens. “He forcefully opened the door.” In Chicago, my hometown, agents rappelled out of helicopters in the middle of the night, kicking in doors. And that doesn’t even begin to describe the full insanity of the situation. It’s like we’re living in an episode of “Black Mirror.” ICE has been releasing highlight reels of their raids set to hip-hop music, like Call of Duty streamers —— “And the car came with a blunt on it ——” “Because I piss on them regardless.” All of this is a part of a plan set in motion When Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent buses of Venezuelan asylum seekers to Chicago —— “In the dead of winter, They’re wearing flip-flops. They’re wearing short-sleeve shirts and shorts.” So the city stepped up. I partnered with local restaurants to provide food and clothing because people freeze to death in Chicago winters. But in a city of so much inequity, much of the pressure of providing for the new arrivals fell on the Black community. The city is extremely segregated due to redlining and institutional racism. When the new immigrants got here, resources were diverted away from Black Chicago’s most vulnerable. “South side has been under-resourced, underfunded for years ——” And that created enormous resentment. “The money needs to be put into those facilities for us.” That was 2023. Fast-forward to 2025, and Trump sent in ICE to hunt down the same Venezuelan immigrants the Texas governor previously bused into Chicago. Since then, agents have been seen choking a Black man at length by the side of the road, swarming South Side neighborhoods. They’ve been filmed assaulting and arresting local aldermen, a journalist —— “I’m Debbie Brockman. I work for WGN.” “Oh my God.” And even tear-gassing Chicago police officers. “Thirteen members of the Chicago Police Department reported exposure to the gas.” Chicago feels like a city under martial law. And as the Trump administration continues on its warpath, things are escalating. “They’re driving out the neighborhood and throwing tear gas out the window.” All of this serves the Trump administration’s agenda. They’re trying to capitalize on chaos, to rationalize attacks on its Democratic opponents. What it really is is terrorism that they’re justifying with the presence of Venezuelan asylum seekers. The tension is incredibly high, understandably, but it’s more important than ever that we be unified, be intentional, and we don’t fall for their divide and conquer strategy, because we’re going to need to stand up for the human rights of everyone if we want to protect those rights for ourselves.