FASCISM'S STORM TROOPERS

Lander’s arrest was so out of line that even his rivals in the city’s upcoming mayoral primary had to defend him. Among them was prince of darkness Andrew Cuomo, who weighed in thusly:

This is the latest example of the extreme thuggery of Trump’s ICE out of control—one can only imagine the fear families across our country feel when confronted with ICE. Fear of separation, fear of being taken from their schools, fear of being detained without just cause. This is not who we are. This must stop, and it must stop now.

On the surface, Cuomo’s response is just about hitting the required beats. This is bad, it has to end—yes, all true. But there’s one phrase that jumps out: “out of control.”

Abolishing ICE Is the Bare Minimum

ICE agents aren’t out of control. They are performing their designed role as fascism’s storm troopers.

Jack Mirkinson 

June 18, 2025 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest New York City Comptroller Brad Lander outside of federal immigration court on Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in New York.

(Olga Fedorova / AP Photo)

. . .The implication is that ICE has somehow slipped the bonds of respectability and is rampaging around with no supervision. Nobody’s minding the store! Everything’s chaos! Where are the rule followers!?

But this isn’t what ICE looks like when it’s “out of control.” It’s what ICE looks like when it’s in control—when it’s doing the job that it has been asked to do. That job, more or less, is to be the chief enforcement arm of US fascism.

And that’s why the agency should be torn down—and why abolishing ICE must be part of the platform of any politician who identifies as a progressive or leftist in this country. If you’re watching what’s happening right now and not demanding that this structure of repression be dismantled, you don’t deserve my vote. . .

But if what we’re witnessing right now shows us anything, it’s that abolishing ICE remains as important as ever. Not only that—it is an obvious litmus test for anyone seeking political office. 

• You can’t proclaim to fight Trumpist extremism and dodge its most visible, horrifying manifestation. 
• You can’t run for local office as a progressive and collaborate with this project. 
• You can’t vote to fund it and expect grassroots support. 
• You can’t say you’re a supporter of immigrants and fail to stand up to their tormentors.

This isn’t a wild ask. It’s the least we should expect. Anything less is unacceptable. Anything less is a win for fascism.