Axelrod's Immigration Playbook: Control the Narrative, Not the Border
📰 THE STORY: David Axelrod, a prominent Democratic strategist, is reportedly advising Democrats against campaigning on abolishing ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), framing it as an electoral liability that could alienate centrist voters and boost conservative narratives ahead of elections. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: ICE was formed in 2003, post-9/11, under the
Department of Homeland Security. It absorbed functions from the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service). Pre-dating ICE, however, the US has a long history of aggressive immigration enforcement tied to racialized exclusion, from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to 'Operation Wetback' in 1954, which forcibly deported over a million people, often US citizens, to Mexico. ICE’s creation wasn't a
sudden necessity but a rebranding and intensification of existing carceral immigration policies, expanding its power to conduct raids, detentions, and deportations far beyond border areas. The agency quickly earned a reputation for brutality and human rights abuses, earning nicknames like 'the Gestapo' among immigrant communities. Double Standard: While mainstream media and political strategists
like Axelrod frame 'abolishing ICE' as an extreme, radical position, they rarely apply the same scrutiny to 'abolishing' other government agencies or programs when it suits their agenda. For instance, calls to drastically cut social safety nets or privatize public services are often presented as 'common-sense fiscal conservatism,' not 'radical overhauls.' The outcry against abolishing ICE