Poll Finds Americans Think ICE Too 'Tough,' Missing the Point
The story focuses on a public opinion shift regarding the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. But it’s a classic omission, neglecting the steady drumbeat of legislation and funding that allowed ICE to become what it is. It wasn't 'tactics' appearing out of thin air; it was a deliberate build-up, funded by bipartisan congressional votes year after year, turning a border enforcement
agency into an internal detention and deportation machine. We're talking about a multi-billion dollar budget (over $9 billion requested for FY2024, DHS.gov ) that dwarfs many other federal agencies. The 'toughness' isn't accidental, it's budgeted. One might wonder if the poll, and Newsweek's framing, politely dances around the fact that many of the politicians now hand-wringing over ICE were the
same ones approving its expanding budget and powers. Are voters finally catching up to what their elected officials have been quietly funding for years? Or is this just another cycle of public outcry followed by performative concern, as the budgets for 'tough tactics' continue to climb?