The Enduring Cruelty of the 'Deterrence' Doctrine
THE CLAIM: An Unintended Tragedy, Continued Enforcement The narrative presented is that Renee Good, an American citizen, died while attempting to avoid an ICE operation targeting her husband, an undocumented immigrant. Her brother, Luke Ganger, testifies that the ongoing ICE crackdowns, even after her death, are 'beyond explanation,' suggesting a lack of empathy or a miscalculation by authorities.
THE EVIDENCE: A History of Systemic 'Deterrence' Luke Ganger's testimony details how his sister, Renee Good, died in Maryland running from ICE agents attempting to detain her husband, an undocumented immigrant. The agents, he says, maintained their pursuit even after she collapsed. This is not an isolated incident. Records show that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement), established in 2003
under the Department of Homeland Security, has a documented history of operations that result in civilian casualties and human rights abuses, often justified under the umbrella of 'border security' or 'interior enforcement.' THE CONTRADICTIONS: When Policy Outweighs Humanity The contradiction lies in the very notion of 'beyond explanation.' For those within the immigration enforcement apparatus,
these outcomes are not inexplicable; they are often an intended, albeit unacknowledged, consequence of a policy framework built on 'deterrence.' Since at least the 1990s, U.S. border policy, often termed 'prevention through deterrence' (INS, 1994), has intentionally funneled migrants into dangerous terrain, accepting increased deaths as a feature, not a flaw, of the strategy. The underlying