It’s rarely a good sign for a nation when an autocratic leader gains access to a private police force that answers only to them. Such is the current situation with Donald Trump and ICE, who have morphed from enforcing immigration laws into an all-but-unaccountable gang of thugs the president can deploy as he sees fit.
For example, key Trump allies have teased uniformed and masked ICE agents being present at polling stations during the November midterms. The official story is that they’re there to stop immigrants voting, but the actual reason is straightforward intimidation of voters.
