Abolishing ICE isn't enough – it's time to center people's humanity | Heba Gowayed and Victor Ray

The US Immigration Enforcement Agency's (ICE) existence has become synonymous with brutality, highlighting a disturbing trend that threatens to undermine the very foundation of American democracy. Renee Good's senseless killing by an ICE agent in January 2026 was just one of many tragic incidents that have sparked widespread outrage and protests across the nation.

The true extent of ICE's violence is staggering. A recent investigation revealed that, since July 2025, at least eight people have been shot, with a total of 13 instances of firing into civilian vehicles. Moreover, in 2025 alone, 32 individuals lost their lives in ICE custody, marking a record number of deaths within the agency's facilities.

These incidents underscore the inhumane conditions that pervade the immigration system. The arbitrary and often deadly application of immigration laws has led to a nation teetering on the edge of violence, with innocent lives being caught in the crossfire. The notion that immigrants are inherently security threats is nothing new – it is a long-standing, deeply ingrained ideology rooted in the country's history.

The roots of this system can be traced back to 1790, when naturalization was limited to "free white persons." Over time, laws were enacted to restrict immigration and limit opportunities for non-white individuals. The US Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 paved the way for a more inclusive approach, but the current policies have taken a drastic turn towards criminalizing increasingly Black and brown immigrants.

The most recent catalyst for change is the Trump-era surge in funding for ICE, which has led to an unprecedented expansion of the agency's activities. Critics argue that this ramp-up of enforcement has resulted in increased violence against migrant communities. As Victor Ray notes, "the problem isn't just new recruits; it's a system designed to operate with impunity."

The proposed solution is not simply abolishing ICE but rather dismantling its core logic – one rooted in violence and racial profiling. Heba Gowayed and Victor Ray argue that the focus should shift towards centering people's humanity, ensuring access to lawyers for all individuals facing deportation, expanding legal pathways, and divesting from the notion that violence makes us safer.

The author's call for reform is both necessary and overdue. It highlights a fundamental flaw in the US immigration system – one that has led to the tragic deaths of countless individuals, including Renee Good. The fight against this entrenched logic requires a reimagining of our approach towards immigrant communities, one that prioritizes human rights over security threats.

In essence, it's time for America to confront its dark past and reimagine an immigration system built on humanity, not fear. Only then can we begin to move towards a future where every individual has access to justice, dignity, and the right to life – regardless of their nationality or immigration status.
 
I mean, have you seen those viral videos of ICE agents being sued for brutality? It's wild how one bad apple can make an entire agency look bad 🤯. But seriously, this stuff is getting outta hand. 32 deaths in 2025 alone? That's not just a flaw in the system, that's a bloody tragedy 😱.

I'm all for reform, but abolishing ICE isn't gonna fix anything. We need to rethink our entire approach to immigration. It's time to stop making assumptions about who's a security threat and start focusing on actual national security concerns 🤔. And can we please get rid of the "free white persons" clause from 1790? Like, what even is that still doing here? 🙄

I'm also low-key worried about the whole "violence makes us safer" narrative. I mean, has anyone actually seen some data on this? Are there actual statistics to back it up? 😂 It sounds like a bunch of hot air to me.

But in all seriousness, if we can't get our act together and start treating immigrant communities with dignity and respect, then we're never gonna make progress. We need to humanize the issue and stop demonizing entire groups of people 🌎. That's the only way forward.
 
🤕 my heart goes out to Renee Good's family, her senseless killing is just one example of how harsh policies are affecting people's lives 🙏. it's like the system is designed to fail, we need to dismantle the core logic that's causing all this violence & racial profiling. 🚫ICE should focus on centering humanity rather than security threats. 🌎 i remember when my parents came to the US as immigrants, they had to fight for everything, but they never thought it would come to this. 😔 we need to rethink our approach towards immigration, one that prioritizes human rights over fear 🤝
 
I mean... the way ICE is treating people in the US right now is straight up terrifying 🤯. Like, eight people getting shot just since July this year? Thirteen times they've fired into civilian vehicles alone. And 32 people have died in ICE custody in 2025 - that's a record number! It's like they're basically saying, "Hey, we don't care about your life, just do what you're told."

The thing is, this isn't new. The whole system is built on the idea of keeping immigrants down and making them feel like they're less than human. From 1790 all the way back, naturalization was only for "free white persons" - it's crazy to think about how far we've come, but also how far we still have to go.

The Trump era funding surge was a major wake-up call for everyone. It showed us that ICE is willing to do whatever it takes to catch people, even if it means hurting them in the process. And now they're saying the problem isn't just the new agents, but the system itself? Yeah, I think so too.

The thing that really bothers me is that people's lives are being lost over this stuff. Renee Good was just one person who got caught up in all of this violence - there are countless others out there who could be, and it's not okay.

We need to rethink our approach to immigration, and fast. We can't keep going down this path of fear and violence; we have to start thinking about humanity instead. It's time for America to confront its dark past and create a system that values people over security threats.
 
ICE is literally a ticking time bomb 🚨💥! The recent investigation results are super disturbing and it's clear that their actions are putting innocent lives at risk 💀. It's not just about enforcing laws, but also about human rights and dignity 👏. The system needs a major overhaul, from the core logic of prioritizing violence over humanity to providing access to lawyers for all individuals facing deportation 🤝. We need to shift our focus towards centering people's lives, rather than perpetuating a cycle of fear and mistrust 💡. It's time for America to confront its dark past and work towards creating an immigration system that values human rights and dignity above all else ❤️.
 
😕 think this is just another example of how our system is messed up from the start 🤯 1790's naturalization laws were already super racist and discriminatory, and it's crazy we're still dealing with the aftermath today 🤷‍♀️. And now with all these shootings and deaths in ICE custody...like, what even is the point of having an agency that's supposed to be about "immigration enforcement" but ends up being a death factory 🚫. It's not like it's a new thing either, we've been seeing more and more instances of violence against migrants for years now 😡. We need to acknowledge that our immigration system is fundamentally flawed and needs a complete overhaul, not just tweaks to make it slightly less brutal 👎
 
🤔 I'm really not convinced by all this talk about dismantling ICE. Where's the data on how effective it is in actually reducing crime? And what about the economic benefits of a streamlined immigration system? We need concrete evidence and stats to back up any claims, not just anecdotal horror stories.

And another thing - if we're going to overhaul the entire system, how are we supposed to decide who gets to stay and who doesn't? It's easy to say "centering people's humanity" but it's a lot harder to make that work in practice. We need to have a serious discussion about what kind of immigration policy makes sense for this country.

And btw, what's the plan for the 32 people who died in ICE custody in 2025? Were they just "collateral damage"? It seems like we're more interested in demonizing ICE than actually addressing the root problems with our immigration system. 💸
 
ICE is literally taking us back to the dark days of America's history 🕷️. It's wild how one agency can become so brutal that it starts to represent the country as a whole. I mean, have you seen those videos of ICE agents shooting at people's cars for no reason? 😱 It's insane.

And don't even get me started on how many innocent lives are lost every year in ICE custody 🤯. It's like they're trying to break the human spirit or something. I'm all for stricter laws and border control, but this is just taking it too far.

The thing that really gets me is when people say that immigrants are security threats 🙄. That's not true at all! Most of these people are just trying to make a living and start a new life in America like everyone else. We should be welcoming them with open arms, not locking them up and treating them like criminals.

We need to rethink our entire approach to immigration and focus on building a system that values human rights over security threats 🌎. It's time for us to confront our dark past and create a better future for everyone.
 
😔 this is so heartbreaking reading about Renee Good's senseless killing by an ICE agent... my heart goes out to her family 🤕. it's just not okay that we're living in a country where law enforcement can be brutal and get away with it 💔. these numbers are staggering, 32 people dying in ICE custody alone is a national shame 😩. it's time for us to have a real conversation about the systemic issues that lead to this violence, not just focus on symptoms but root causes 💡. we need to prioritize humanity over fear and create an immigration system that values human rights 🌎.
 
ICE is like a ticking time bomb 🚨😡 and it's only gonna get worse until someone puts a stop to this nonsense 💔. They're basically creating a culture of fear and intimidation towards immigrant communities, which is just wrong 😞. I mean, the stats are crazy – 32 people dying in ICE custody last year? That's a record, folks! 📊 And it's not like they're even making an effort to fix their own problems, instead they're just digging themselves into a deeper hole 💪.

I'm all for reform, but let's be real here, the system is broken and needs to be torn down from the ground up 🔥. We can't keep perpetuating this cycle of violence and racism – it's not only morally reprehensible, but it's also damaging our country's reputation 🌎. We need to start valuing human life over security threats, period 💕. The solution isn't just about abolishing ICE, it's about fundamentally changing the way we approach immigration and treating people with dignity and respect 🙏.

It's time for us to take a hard look at our country's history and acknowledge the harm that's been done to immigrant communities 🤦‍♂️. We can't keep ignoring the fact that our current system is rooted in violence, racism, and fear 😨. It's time to create a new narrative – one of hope, inclusivity, and humanity 💫.
 
omg i just heard about this Renee Good thing 🤯 what happened? was it like a accident or what? anyway i was thinking about ice today and how can you even get into trouble with them? like isn't it supposed to be helping people not hurting them? 🤔
 
man this is just so messed up 🤯 like who thought it was okay to be out there shooting people in cars? 🚗😱 and 32 deaths in one year is insane 32 lives lost over some messed up laws that are supposed to protect america but really are just hurting innocent ppl 🤷‍♂️ i feel so bad for renee good's family, it's just not right.
 
omg 🤯 i cant even believe whats going on with ice 🚨 these numbers are insane 32 deaths in one year alone is like something out of a horror movie 😱 and the fact that theyre firing into civilian vehicles is just wild 🔫 its like america has lost all sense of humanity 🤕 we need to shut down ice and start over from scratch 💥 its not rocket science people 🤷‍♀️ if were going to keep our communities safe then we need to focus on addressing the root causes of migration rather than punishing innocent people 😔
 
man i just had the craziest dream last night 😴, i was walking through this beautiful beach with my grandma, and we were building this giant sandcastle together 🏖️... anyway, back to this topic about ICE and all that jazz 🤔... i mean have you ever noticed how many shows are coming out on Netflix these days? like, it's getting to the point where they're just churning out new stuff left and right 💥... but seriously, can we talk about how underrated 'Stranger Things' is? 🤖 I'm not even kidding, that show is a masterpiece 🎉...
 
🚨 ICE's existence is basically a national embarrassment at this point 🤦‍♂️ The way they're treating immigrants is straight outta a horror movie 💀 32 deaths in one year? That's insane! And it's not just the shootings, but the overall conditions in those facilities are supposed to be humanitarians? Give me a break 🙅‍♂️ They need to seriously rethink their approach and focus on making America a welcoming place for everyone, not just the ones who can afford to pay 💸
 
ICE is like that one aunt at the family reunion 🤦‍♀️ - everyone's always talking about her, but nobody wants to sit next to her. Newsflash: Renee Good's death was just the tip of the iceberg 💀. The fact that 32 people died in ICE custody this year is just a staggering number (no pun intended) 😒. Can we please just acknowledge the systemic issues here and move on? 🙃 It's time to stop making excuses for the system and start holding people accountable. And let's be real, the "logic" behind ICE's violent methods is pretty much rooted in racism 🤝.
 
ICE is literally outta control 🤯 it's like they think people are just gonna freeze up when they see those black suits coming for them... Newsflash: we're human beings too! I mean, can't we just have a more compassionate system where everyone gets a fair shake? 🌎 The deaths and injuries are just so senseless... it's like they're trying to tear our communities apart. We need real reform now, not just some watered-down version of what's already broken 🚫
 
🤕 this is crazy like what kinda world are we livin in? ICE agents be shootin people left & right just doin their job 😒. i mean Renee Good was a real person not some criminal they can just kill and get away with it 🚫. We need to think about the ppl who r already sufferin in these conditions, like 32 deaths in one year? that's a record and its super sad 😔.

i feel for immigrants they're just tryna make a livin and start a new life but they get thrown at these barriers and it's all cause & effect 🤯. we need to rethink this whole security threat thing 'cause it's not true for everyone, especially ppl of color 🚫.

we should focus on makin it easier for immigrants to get the help they need instead of just lockin them up 🔒. centering people's humanity is key here 👥.
 
I'm soooo concerned about what's been happening with ICE... 😟 It's crazy that people are losing lives because of these brutal actions! 🚫 I mean, can't we just treat everyone with respect and kindness? 🤗 We need to rethink the way our country approaches immigration. It's not like immigrants are inherently a threat, it's just so unfair. 🙅‍♀️ The fact that Renee Good was killed by an ICE agent is just heartbreaking 💔. We should be focusing on ways to make our system more humane, not perpetuating violence and fear. 👮‍♂️ We need to prioritize people's humanity over security threats. It's time for a change! 🔄
 
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