The way that the Left and the media act about ICE, you would think that ICE just began on Jan. 20, 2025, instead of being around, enforcing immigration law since 2003 through "a merger of the investigative and interior enforcement elements of the former U.S. Customs Service and the Immigration and Naturalization Service." Even before ICE, the INS was also arresting and deporting people.
Yet, leftists are acting now like the enforcement of the law is unlawful, and objecting to the whole concept of arresting illegal aliens, or as they would say, "kidnapping our neighbors from our community."
But this is completely astroturfed outrage.
Let's compare to ten years ago. Do you remember what was going on under Barack Obama? He was rounding up illegal alien families. Politico's title is even "Obama kicks off family deportation raids."
The Obama administration confirmed Monday that it began a new wave of arrests of Central American immigrant families over the weekend, moving forward with deportations of mothers and children despite an outcry from immigrant rights groups and potential political fallout for Democrats. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said in a statement that 121 people were taken into custody in Georgia, Texas and North Carolina in recent days and will soon face deportation.
Look how calm and respectful the media is to the Obama team.
2016. Obama's Press Secretary is asked about reports that during immigration raids, ICE agents were storming into homes, going room to room looking for illegals, and making children tremble with fear.
— MAZE (@mazemoore) January 13, 2026
I thought only fascist Presidents do that sort of thing.
Why was the press… pic.twitter.com/oQ1UgeJiJg
“Ultimately, when it comes to enforcement issued (sic), those are decisions that are made by law enforcement professionals," White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest explained.
Can you imagine what they would do if the Trump team responded like that? We'd already have five stories on the lack of transparency and probably a Democratic lawsuit pending before a judge to stop the action.
This line in the Politico story about the Obama actions struck me forcefully.
Democrats in Congress — which is currently in recess — have been mostly quiet on the raids.
So wait. Families. Moms and children. Not even people with other crimes. And Democrats were "mostly quiet." Have the Democrats been "mostly quiet" now over Christmas and the New Year? Hardly.
Where was the outrage then? While there was some criticism from immigration groups and some Democrats, you certainly didn't have the furor like you have now, with Democrats demonizing law enforcement and the hundreds of ginned-up, white, liberal women surrounding ICE agents, attacking them, or blocking their way.
Gee, what would be the difference? Democrats and the media had no desire to whip up anger against Obama. They do want to do all they can now to hurt President Donald Trump and defend the presence of illegal aliens. Everything Trump does is bad, even if they would have cheered any other president for doing it.
Yes, ICE was going into neighborhoods and arresting people under Obama (and other presidents) just as they are now. Notice the difference here on this clip from CNN at this X link. CNN was riding along with ICE. They would probably never do that now. Moreover, they depicted ICE favorably, something they almost certainly would not do now.
However, the biggest thing is that you don't hear any whistles, horns honking, or screaming women. No one is surrounding the ICE agents' vehicles, cursing them, or trying to ram them. So the federal agents didn't have to wear masks or fear attack from people trying to target them for doing their job.
We also have more need for action because Joe Biden opened the doors wide to illegal aliens. Moreover, we wouldn't have some of the confrontations in neighborhoods if Democrats in sanctuary states/cities allowed criminals to be picked up at the jails.
READ MORE: About Those Liberal White Women, ICE, and a Troubling Poll
Most of the people sounding off now didn't give a darn back then - they weren't told to be mad. I doubt they even know this history.
