History Repeats?

Written by Victoria Ness

Warnings: Violence, Racism, Kidnapping, and Sexual Assault

A brief, opinionated article about the Immigration and Customs Enforcement and how they’ve handled things in recent events.

Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Keith Porter Jr., Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres, Geraldo Lunes Campos, Víctor Manuel Díaz, Parady La, Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz, Heber Sánchez Domínguez. All victims of I.C.E. Those are only the most publicized ones. They have used a five year old child as bait to lure in others, including his own father. Gassing families, shooting protesters with rubber bullets, kidnapping innocent people, sexually abusing detainees, and racially profiling anyone who looks like a different race, even accidentally detaining and killing white people in the process, only then feeling bad about their actions. They do not care if you’re a U.S. citizen, if you are even just slightly not white, no matter what race you actually are, you are in danger. This cannot go on any longer.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement, established as part of the Homeland Security Act  in 2002, yet 2025 was its most deadly year in two decades with 32 recorded deaths. Since 2026 started (written February 3rd), 6 deaths have been recorded inside of Alligator Alcatraz. SIX in January this year alone. Not to mention the fatalities outside of this “detention center.”

Drone shot of Alligator Alcatraz

Speaking of this detention center! I wanna get across first that this enforcement has earned well over $80 billion in federal funds this YEAR, mind you, this is being written in February, before I tell you about these harsh conditions. From color-coded uniforms to mosquitos all over the place, it is absolutely vile. Its conditions are described to be similar to a dog cage, adding onto constant flooding, disgusting water, limited water access in general, cramped small rooms, and bugs in food. Amy Fischer spoke on the subject after finding out about the center receiving a human rights violation, “these despicable and nauseating conditions at Alligator Alcatraz reflect a pattern of deliberate neglect designed to dehumanize and punish those detained there.”

An inside view of Alligator Alcatraz sleeping quarters

Literal cages. Over 540,000 have been deported since Trump took office in 2025. No person should be dying under government care. There is no excuse. $80 billion dollars in a month and they can’t give someone of a different race a band-aid. This is disgusting. Grown men are making these decisions, grown men who know better. Grown men who have lived through racism movement after racism movement, they know what they’re doing is inhumane and monstrous, they just do not care. They know it’s something they will get away with because nobody has the guts to speak up against a rich person.

ICE has informed its agents they are allowed to go door-to-door into people's homes without a warrant. Does that sound at all familiar? Remember Anne Frank, a victim of the Holocaust? Do you remember WHY she hid in her attic? Because Nazis were going door-to-door, checking homes for Jewish people. ICE is going door-to-door, checking homes for Mexican people. History is repeating.