John Oliver on Ice's crackdown: ‘Trying to drive up arrests at all costs'
The Trump administration has set a goal of deporting one million people per year, 'which, it's worth noting, would be more than double the previous record of 400,000 when Obama was president, which was already very high', said Oliver. 'But notably, they don't seem to be getting near their target numbers.' As of taping, the administration had deported about 280,000 people, 'so getting to a million in just six months seems very unlikely'.
'And they have backed themselves into this corner, because 'promising' to deport a million criminal migrants is one thing, but once you're in charge, you then have to find that many of them,' he continued, 'which is going to be hard if they don't exist in the numbers that you're claiming, which they don't.'
'It's like promising to apprehend 10,000 Fred Dursts a day,' he added. 'There just aren't that many out there, so either you have to admit that your target number was bullshit in the first place or you have to drastically widen your definition of what a Fred Durst is until you're eventually arresting any gen X-er wearing a hat.'
'But instead of conceding their numbers were inflated, the administration is trying to drive up arrests at all costs.' Trump aide Stephen Miller has instructed Ice agents to target Home Depots and 7-Elevens, and the agency has rapidly deputized a record number of local police to function as deportation agents. They've brought in border patrol as well as the national guard; at least a quarter of the Drug Enforcement Administration's workforce; 80% of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; and even members of the US Postal Service.
'This mass reallocation of resources means that other crimes are going less policed,' Oliver explained. The FBI, for example, has instructed agents to prioritize immigration enforcement at the expense of white-collar crime and investigations into sexual abuse.
'I gotta say: for a guy who pandered so heavily to people convinced pedophiles, sex offenders and traffickers had infiltrated our government, Trump's sure making the government a lot friendlier to them,' said Oliver. 'Ghislaine Maxwell's in a nicer cell now, Lawrence Taylor's advising on kids' physical fitness. Fuck it, at this point, if he's willing to wear a Maga hat, I really don't see why Roman Polanski can't come back.'
Nevertheless, 'border czar' Tom Homan claimed that 70% of those arrested by Ice were criminals, while the other 30% were national security threats who 'don't have a criminal history because they try to lay low until it's time for them to do things bad'.
'Under his logic, I guess anyone could be a national security threat,' said Oliver. But 'Homan's numbers are also nowhere near Ice's own data,' which found that only 40% of those arrested had any criminal history, including traffic infractions, and just 7% were convicted of any sort of violent crime. In fact, as of June, people with only civil or immigration violations – no criminal convictions – made up the largest percentage of arrests nationwide. 'Maybe the clearest sign that this is more about pushing up numbers than catching violent criminals on the run is that one of the key places where they're now fishing for arrests is immigration court, where people show up for their hearings,' he added.
As numerous videos showed, Ice agents arrested people who showed up to process their situation legally, using a loophole that allows the government to deport people without due process if their immigration case is dismissed. 'It is the laziest possible way to juice up your numbers,' said Oliver, 'because you're targeting people who are going through the system 'in the right way' and turning them into people you can immediately arrest and deport.'
This trap was among 'things the administration is doing that sure feel like they're breaking the law' but 'often aren't'. Oliver took the 'dystopian visual' of Ice agents wearing masks, which is actually legal, as no federal law prevents it. 'So they can do it, but why are they?' The administration claims that it's for their own protection, with the homeland security secretary, Kristi Noem, including videotaping arrests as an act of 'violence' against agents.
All of this 'gets even more worrying' when one remembers that Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill Act contains a massive surge of funding for immigration enforcement – roughly $170bn over the next few years, some of which is set aside for the hiring of 10,000 new Ice agents. 'For what it's worth, massive rapid hiring sprees never tend to work out well,' Oliver noted. Past efforts to bolster Customs and Border Protection under George Bush ended up with hiring drug cartel members and an actual serial killer. 'And it's not a great sign for who Ice is appealing to that they're currently posting gross recruitment ads, like this fake minivan ad tagged: 'Think about how many criminal illegal aliens you could fit in this bad boy!'' he added. 'And they seem more than a little desperate already, as they've already removed age limits for hiring agents.'
And this past week, Ice shared a video of their newest recruit: former Superman actor Dean Cain. 'You know, there's an old saying in Hollywood: 'If all you can get is Dean Cain, you are fucked,'' Oliver joked.
'Now, I'm not saying that Ice isn't finding people,' he continued. 'I'm just saying, when you are reduced to pinning a badge on the 59-year-old star of The Dog Who Saved Christmas, The Dog Who Saved Christmas Vacation, The Dog Who Saved the Holidays, The Dog Who Saved Halloween, The Dog Who Saved Easter and The Dog Who Saved Summer, maybe you are in trouble. Although, on the plus side, no need for that guy to wear a mask because the chances of anyone recognizing him are fucking zero.'
So what can be done? 'As powerless as this can feel, as individuals there are still actions you can take,' said Oliver, such as recording any arrest you witness involving Ice agents. Oliver also advised that if you're approached by Ice agents, whether or not you're a citizen, 'attorneys told us the only two things you should say to them are: 'Am I free to leave?' And: 'I want to speak to a lawyer.' That's it. You have the right to remain silent. And I recognize that in some cases you may be unable to help yourself from saying: 'Didn't you used to be Superman?' 'I thought you died.' 'I can't believe I'm meeting a film-maker.' But that really is it.'
'We are still in a very grim moment,' he added. 'The rightwing narrative is that most people are rabid to punish anyone who wants to become new Americans. But that is just not true,' as new polls found 80% support a pathway to legal citizenship for undocumented immigrants. 'Nor are their bullshit claims about who's being targeted and arrested.'
'And I'm not saying that everything Ice is doing right now is illegal,' he concluded. 'What I'm saying is, a whole bunch of it feels like it really should be. And we need to change that at our earliest opportunity.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
US and Philippines discuss more missile system deployments as tensions rise in South China Sea
The United States is discussing the possible deployment of more missile launchers to the Philippines to strengthen deterrence against aggression in the disputed South China Sea and other Asian security hotspots, but no final decision has been reached by both sides, Manila's ambassador to Washington said Thursday. The U.S. military delivered a mid-range missile system called the Typhon, a land-based weapon that can fire the Standard Missile-6 and the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile, to the northern Philippines as part of joint combat exercises in April last year. That was followed by the transport by the U.S. military of an anti-ship missile launcher in April this year to the northernmost Philippine province of Batanes, just a sea border away from Taiwan. Beijing strongly protested the installation of the U.S. missile systems, saying they were aimed at containing China's rise and warning that these would threaten regional stability. China has asked the Philippines to withdraw the missile launchers from its territory, but officials led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had rejected the demand. Ambassador Jose Manuel Romualdez said without elaborating that the possible deployment by the U.S. of more Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System or NMESIS missile launchers "was being discussed for consideration by both sides.' The anti-ship missile systems could be installed along Philippine coastal regions facing the South China Sea and outlying regions to beef up deterrence against aggression, he said. 'This is part of the strong U.S. and Philippines defense partnership,' Romualdez told The Associated Press. Romualdez spoke on the sidelines of a trade and investment conference in Manila, where he and Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro encouraged major U.S. companies to invest in a wide array of industries — from energy and telecommunications to infrastructure and navy shipbuilding — in the Philippines, the oldest treaty ally of the U.S. in Asia. 'When U.S. companies invest here, it's not just about returns on capital — it's about returns on alliance,' Romualdez told U.S. business executives at the conference. 'A stronger Philippine economy means a more capable and reliable defense partner for the United States.' 'At a time when America is diversifying supply chains and rethinking global strategy, we are a natural choice – and a strategic necessity,' Romualdez said. 'I ask you to carry this message to the Trump administration: `Every U.S. dollar invested in the Philippines strengthens America's position in the Indo-Pacific.'' U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth flew to Manila in March in his first visit to Asia and said the Trump administration would work with allies to ramp up deterrence against threats across the world, including China's increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea. The U.S. was not gearing up for war, Hegseth said then, but underscored that peace would be won 'through strength.' China claims virtually the entire South China Sea. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have overlapping claims to the resource-rich and busy waters, but confrontations have spiked between Chinese and Philippine coast guard and naval forces in recent years. On Wednesday, the U.S. briefly deployed two warships in what it called a 'freedom of navigation' operation off the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea where two Chinese navy and coast guard ships collided earlier in the week while trying to drive away a smaller Philippine coast guard vessel. The high-seas accident sparked alarm among Asian and Western countries. 'Freedom of navigation is essential for the trillions of dollars worth of commerce that passes through these waters,' the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, MaryKay Carlson, told reporters on the sidelines of the Manila investment conference. 'It's about commerce. It's about lives and livelihoods.'
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
Starmer and Zelensky united on ‘strong resolve' to secure just peace in Ukraine ahead of Trump-Putin talks
Sir Keir Starmer and Volodymyr Zelensky are united in their 'strong resolve' to secure a just peace in Ukraine ahead of a historic summit between the US and Russia on Friday. Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are due to meet in Alaska, amid fears the two superpowers will try to decide the end of the war themselves, leaving Ukraine excluded. As the world nervously awaits their meeting, the Russian president has dangled the idea that the talks could lead to Moscow and Washington reaching a deal on nuclear arms control. After a one-to-one meeting in No 10 on Thursday, seen as a show of support for Ukraine, Downing Street said the two leaders 'agreed there had been a powerful sense of unity and a strong resolve to achieve a just and lasting peace in Ukraine'. 'They then looked ahead to tomorrow's talks between President Trump and President Putin in Alaska, which present a viable chance to make progress as long as Putin takes action to prove he is serious about peace.' As they entered Downing Street, the two men refused to be drawn on whether President Trump could be trusted, after questions from reporters. It comes after the US president threatened 'severe consequences' if Putin does not agree to peace in Ukraine, without specifying what these could be. After his meeting with Sir Keir on Friday, President Zelensky suggested he and the PM had war-gamed potential outcomes of the Trump-Putin summit. In a message on X, formerly Twitter, he described a 'good, productive' meeting, a day after a call with other European leaders and Sir Keir to put forward Europe's concerns on what a deal might include. 'We continue to coordinate our positions,' he said. 'We discussed expectations for the meeting in Alaska and possible prospects. We also discussed in considerable detail the security guarantees that can make peace truly durable if the United States succeeds in pressing Russia to stop the killings and engage in genuine, substantive diplomacy.' Since the weekend, Europe has rallied behind Ukraine's right to decide its own future, amid concerns over Mr Zelensky's exclusion from Friday's summit. At the weekend, the US president suggested a truce could involve some "swapping" of land. On Saturday, Mr Zelensky furiously rejected any proposal that would compromise Ukraine's territorial integrity, something that is forbidden by the country's constitution. Putin is expected to use the summit to demand that Ukraine cede parts of the Donbas region, which it still controls. Asked if he decided not to invite Mr Zelensky to the meeting, Mr Trump said 'no, just the opposite', before adding that a second meeting with the Ukrainian president could take place afterwards. Mr Trump has threatened Russia with "severe consequences" if a ceasefire is rejected by its leader.
The Guardian
9 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump cuts to science research threaten his administration's own AI action plan
The Trump administration released 'America's AI Action Plan' last month with the goal of expanding US dominance when it comes to AI in order to maintain a global edge, especially over China. But Donald Trump's cuts to scientific research funding through federal agencies – including the National Intitute Health, the National Science Foundation, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Nasa – will undermine that goal and threaten the research environment that fostered the foundations of AI, experts in the field said. Mark Histed, chief of neural computation and behavior at NIH, said that while the effects of funding cuts on AI might not be obvious in the next year or two, they threaten 'the whole ecosystem that we have built around AI, that has been created by federal support'. 'What I see is an ecosystem, right? I see multiple different disciplines contributing different aspects to this process. I see academia playing a key role and industry playing a key role. And so as we look forward and we think about trying to advance AI, we need to be supporting that entire ecosystem,' Rebecca Willett, a computer science professor at the University of Chicago and faculty director of AI at the Data Science Institute, explained, echoing Histed. Histed and Willett both believe that AI simply would not exist in its current form without federally funded research, and offered a variety of AI technologies and companies that owe their development to federal funding. For example, self-driving cars rely on computer vision technology – federal funding has supported its development since the 1980s. Computer vision is the foundation for the vast majority of face and image recognition technologies. AlphaFold, which uses AI to help discover new medications, and Anthropic, which improves AI safety, including for the US Department of Defense, also exists thanks to federal support. AI research often takes cues from other realms of science, which in turn can help foster AI, so cuts to other disciplines will affect the intelligence's development. Histed points to the overlap between his field of neuroscience and AI. 'We're just at the beginning of understanding how networks of connected neurons create functions like memory and cognition. And if you look at a machine learning network or an AI network, that is also the case,' he said. Histed pointed out that federally funded research that brings these disciplines together has led to Nobel prize-winning work. Geoffrey Hinton and John Hopfield won the 2024 Nobel prize in physics for their work at the intersection of neuroscience and AI, and received support from the NSF. Trump's plan could also pose a threat to AI safety, which is essential to ensuring that AI is not only effective but that it operates within the boundaries of the law. The plan includes provisions to revise guidelines at the National Institute of Standards and Technology 'to eliminate references to misinformation, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and climate change'. These are three of the most controversial aspects of AI, which has been demonstrated to show gender and racial bias in a variety of applications, including face recognition technology and popular applications like ChatGPT. A recent study found that ChatGPT advises women to ask for less money than men when prompted for advice about salary expectations. Histed says that the field of AI safety is also closely linked with neuroscience, because understanding how human neural networks create bias can also help us understand how AI networks create bias. Sign up to This Week in Trumpland A deep dive into the policies, controversies and oddities surrounding the Trump administration after newsletter promotion Trump's plan also calls for less red tape when it comes to building AI datacentres that can suck up huge amounts of energy. Willett said it was true that large-scale machine learning systems 'come at an enormous cost. It's a huge amount of energy, a huge amount of cooling.' But, she added, AI companies themselves should still want to reduce those costs regardless of what Trump's plan says. 'Not only do they have environmental impacts, but it's expensive for the companies that are running these systems. And so I think across the AI community, people are invested in trying to make these systems more efficient,' Willett said. Willett and Histed both say that the AI community will be under threat in the coming years if the federal government no longer funds their training at universities. Histed noted that the federally funded 'talent pipeline' is 'incredibly important', adding 'we train lots and lots and lots of people in neuroscience and related fields that are going directly to these tech companies. There's tons of overlap. All the people who are leading the technical side of the AI revolution have had contact with the academic world that trained them and is supported by US federal funding. 'One of the big ways in which tech companies benefit from universities is that we train students, right?' Willett said. 'And so they walk into these companies with cutting-edge skills that these companies need. And so right off the bat, I think universities are playing an essential role that's important to industry.'
