The Usual Suspects Demand 'Normal' Enforcement for Abnormal Powers
THE ACTORS: Who is involved in this story? Representative Brendan Boyle (D-PA), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, is expressing concerns about ICE's conduct. His call for 'normal rules' suggests he's playing the role of a concerned legislator, advocating for transparency and accountability. THE FUNDING: Where does their money come from? Boyle's congressional campaigns receive funding
from a variety of sources, including labor unions like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and various corporate PACs. His 2022 campaign, for instance, received over $1.7 million in contributions (OpenSecrets, 2023). While these donors don't directly fund ICE, they represent the establishment apparatus within which Boyle operates and to which he must answer. The very
existence of ICE, however, is propped up by a massive allocation of taxpayer dollars – an average of $8 billion annually since 2018 (Migration Policy Institute, 2021) – an amount that dwarfs the budgets of many traditional law enforcement agencies. THE INCENTIVES: What do they gain from this narrative? For Boyle, calling for 'normal rules' is a politically safe stance that appeals to a base
concerned about unchecked government power, especially given the agency's history of controversial tactics. It allows him to appear critical without dismantling the underlying architecture. For the architects and beneficiaries of ICE's current structure, such calls are largely performative. The agency's broad powers, derived from Title 8 of the U.S. Code and further solidified post-9/11, grant it