It's only a matter of time before an ICE raid goes terribly wrong
Last week, federal immigration agents executed a warrant on a home in Oklahoma City that authorities say is owned by a notorious human smuggling suspect. In the dark, about 20 men stormed into the house with guns drawn, according to a report from KFOR-TV. They swarmed the house, but what they found was not the owners, but new renting tenants, a mother and her three daughters, U.S. citizens freshly arrived from Maryland. The mother described details of the raid as horrifying: a woman and her children forced out into the night, their home ransacked, their property seized.
The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday posted about the raid on X: "The April 24 Oklahoma ICE operation was a lawful, court-authorized action explicitly targeting a property, that was a hub for human smuggling, not specific individuals, as falsely suggested by media reports...The warrant targeted the property itself, not specific individuals, and its execution was not contingent on the presence of any person. HSI, with Oklahoma state police support, executed the warrant with precision, seizing electronic devices as authorized."
The mother, whom NBC affiliate KFOR in Oklahoma City gives the pseudonym Marisa, expressed her fear and outrage at the situation and noted that the outcome could have been much worse: 'What if I would have been armed? ... You're breaking in. What am I supposed to think? My initial thought was we were being robbed — that my daughters, being females, were being kidnapped. You have guns pointed in our faces.'
What if they had been armed, indeed? After all, many, many Americans are armed. According to the Pew Research Center, 4 in 10 U.S. adults live in households with guns. And we have been taught to regard those weapons as a right, particularly one that enables us to defend ourselves, our loved ones and our homes.
'Dynamic entry' raids — sometimes requiring police to knock before entering, sometimes not — were a source of serious controversy in the Obama years, resurrected more recently with the police shooting of Breonna Taylor during a March 2020 no-knock raid. But the fact that so many people are armed is a key reason dynamic entry raids are so dangerous.
As The New York Times reported in 2017, these raids 'have also led time and again to avoidable deaths, gruesome injuries, demolished property, enduring trauma, blackened reputations and multimillion-dollar legal settlements at taxpayer expense.' That same report found that, from 2010 to 2016, there were 94 deaths resulting from such raids — including those of 13 law enforcement officers.
The evidence is already clear: Armed officers barreling into homes, weapons drawn, is a recipe for disaster. When a person is startled — particularly at night, perhaps even out of their sleep — by armed individuals rushing into their home and shouting commands, how unreasonable a response is it, really, to reach for a weapon and fire in what they assume is self-defense?
It's the mixture of brutality and carelessness that really highlights the danger and should set our teeth on edge.
Isn't it a question of when — and not if — we see shots fired inside someone's home in the course of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown? And if so, what happens when one of these questionable raids results in lethal violence — presumably driven by the confusion and instinct for self-defense as 'Marisa' describes?
The most immediate answer is that it will be an unspeakable tragedy for all the loved ones affected. But, more to the point, what do we expect this administration would do?
The potential for a dangerous, explosive situation is very real. Consider the fuel this could provide to an administration already taking a draconian line on policing dissent. President Donald Trump, Elon Musk and other administration officials could use the resulting tumult to further fan the flames of anti-immigrant fearmongering while also planting the seeds for a new 'War on Cops' moral panic.
Republicans have threatened to go after nonprofits they deem to be supporting terrorists, a definition that seems to include organizations, as well as universities, that support broadly liberal ideas about immigration, diversity or the environment. Trump explicitly stated he wants to send 'homegrowns' to the notorious Salvadoran prison CECOT. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has suggested that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's call for mass protests could be 'construed as inciting violence.'
This is what they are saying and doing now. It isn't difficult to imagine how the president and his most powerful allies could exploit a genuine tragedy to use even more extreme actions in their crackdowns on immigration and, more broadly, dissent.
When I think of Marisa's words — 'What if I had been armed?' — I see the possibility for a truly terrifying cascade of events.
This article was originally published on MSNBC.com
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
9 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Harvard researcher charged with smuggling frog embryos faces detention hearing
BOSTON (AP) — A Russian-born scientist and Harvard University researcher charged with smuggling frog embryos into the United States faces a detention hearing in Massachusetts on Thursday. Kseniia Petrova, 30, has been in federal custody since February and is seeking to be released. Petrova was returning from a vacation in France, where she had stopped at a lab specializing in splicing superfine sections of frog embryos and obtained a package of samples for research. She was later questioned about the samples while passing through a U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoint at Boston Logan International Airport. She told The Associated Press in an interview in April that she did not realize the items needed to be declared and was not trying to sneak anything into the country. After an interrogation, Petrova was told her visa was being canceled. Petrova was briefly detained by immigration officials in Vermont, where she filed a petition seeking her release. She was later sent to an ICE facility in Louisiana. The Department of Homeland Security had said in a statement on the social media platform X that Petrova was detained after 'lying to federal officers about carrying substances into the country.' They allege that messages on her phone 'revealed she planned to smuggle the materials through customs without declaring them.' In May, Petrova was charged with smuggling in Massachusetts as a federal judge in Vermont set the hearing date on her petition. That judge later ruled that the immigration officers' actions were unlawful, that Petrova didn't present a danger, and that the embryos were nonliving, nonhazardous and 'posed a threat to no one.' The judge released Petrova from ICE custody, but she remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service on the smuggling charge. Colleagues and academics have testified on Petrova's behalf, saying she is doing valuable research to advance cures for cancer.
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Some Los Angeles families are skipping school graduation because they are afraid of ICE
At Palms Middle School in Los Angeles, the aggressive immigration crackdown that is dominating the city loomed over a joyous middle school commencement ceremony on June 10. A doleful Principal Arturo Enriquez told Angeleno families that parents and community members were stationed outside of the campus "ready to call me" if United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials showed up. "We are a melting pot of beautiful, incredible people," Enriquez said to the crowd before wiping a tear from his eye. "This incredible community, all of these students, all of these parents, guardians, friends and family, it is because of you that these young people are here ready to go on to that next step – to that high school life, to represent each of us as an incredible member of society." Some families too afraid to attend the graduation out of fear of increased presence of immigration enforcement officials across the city didn't hear the principal's message. They and many other Angeleno immigrants who live in the sanctuary city are foregoing the chance to witness their young loved ones receive diplomas or advance to the next grade at upcoming school graduation ceremonies out of fear of getting deported. "I've spoken with parents who've told me that their daughter would be the first in their family to graduate high school and they're not going to be there to witness it, because they have a fear of the place of graduation being targeted,' said Alberto Carvalho, superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District, which covers the majority of the city and some surrounding areas of Los Angeles and serves more than a half of a million public school students, during a June 9 news conference. More than one-third of Angelenos are immigrants. ICE detained a Los Angeles fourth grader from Torrance Elementary School and his father in Texas on May 29. They are expected to be deported to Honduras. The young child's deportation has left a wound. 'When something like this happens, it shakes all of us in the community," Torrance Elementary PTA volunteer Ria Villanueva told The Los Angeles Times. Homeland security agents attemped to enter two Los Angeles schools in early April, but they were denied entry. Arrests of young people by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are happening nationwide in other targeted American communities, such as Milford, Massachusetts, where an 11th grader's arrest and detention by ICE has heightened anxiety among the area's immigrants, and in New York City, where educations officials say ICE have recently arrested and detained two students. 'President Trump is keeping his promise to deport illegal aliens and the law enforcement officers conducting operations do so efficiently and professionally," said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, in response to a question from USA TODAY about the Trump administration's enforcement on immigration at and around schools. "Individuals, like the violent rioters in LA, who try to obstruct or deter operations put law enforcement officers and law abiding citizens at risk.' The Trump administration's increased immigration enforcement and related protests around LA Unified schools over the last several weeks have put parents, students and school officials on especially high alert. After law enforcement officers deployed flash-bang grenades against protesters near a Los Angeles Unified elementary school campus, the school community went into lockdown on June 6. The tensions have left the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest district in the nation, at the center of the national battle on immigration deportations and family separations. Ahead of future graduation ceremonies in the district, Carvalho said he said he has directed Los Angeles Unified school police to stand at the front lines and "intervene and interfere with any federal agency who may want to take action during these joyous times that we call graduation." The Los Angeles families' anxieties come after a series of Trump administration-led anti-immigrant actions in the city, making it a national battleground for President Donald Trump's long-promised crackdown on illegal immigration. President Donald Trump and his administration have deployed thousands of National Guard members to the nation's second-largest city since June 8. The National Guard entered Los Angeles after citizens who were angry about immigration raids in the city, including one at a Home Depot, launched largely peaceful demonstrations against the administration's enforcement of illegal immigration. How did the LA protests begin? A look at the immigration raids that sparked outrage Chaos and violence have since erupted across Los Angeles, resulting in the detainment of some immigrants, destruction of city property and fear and hiding among immigrant families and children of immigrants who attend school across the region. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vehemently objected against the immigration raids and deployment of federal guards, even filing a lawsuit against Trump and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth alleging they deployed "members of the California National Guard, without lawful authority, and in violation of the Constitution." "Instead of focusing on undocumented immigrants with serious criminal records and people with final deportation orders – a strategy both parties have long supported – this administration is pushing mass deportations - indiscriminately targeting hardworking, immigrant families regardless of their roots or risk, " Newsom, a Democrat, said in a video posted on Instagram. There's no sign that the immigration raids will end. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on X on June 9 that they will deploy about 700 active duty U.S. Marines to Los Angeles "to restore order." Trump has also threatened to arrest Newsom for challenging the federal government. 700 Marines Heading to LA; Newsom calls move 'deranged fantasy' of Trump A third-grade elementary school teacher in the district, who asked to remain anonymous because she is worried that her school and her students will be targeted by immigration enforcement officials if she is identified, said she has felt deep fear and constant anxiety in her students about them or their families being detained by ICE officials. She said many kids in her classroom whose parents are undocumented immigrants, some of whom are newcomers from Guatemala, are worried about being deported or separated from their families. Their fears have intensified since immigration raids have occurred close to the school. Attendance was unusually low and many school bus stops were eerily quiet during the last two days of school in her classroom on June 9 and 10, she said. "I try to pretend everything's normal when everything's falling apart outside of the school," she said. Her six-year-old son, who attends the same school where she teaches, found about about the immigration raids through friends and told her, 'Mom, I'm glad you have papers so they can't take you.' Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Carvlaho said in a statement on June 6 that he is "dismayed" by the recent immigration enforcement activity occurring near district schools. "These actions are causing unnecessary fear, confusion, and trauma for our students and families – many of whom are simply trying to get to and from school and work, and to live with dignity," Carvalho said. The presence of federal immigration activity near school campuses threatens prevents schools from being a "safe haven" where students "can learn, grow, and thrive without fear of being separated from their loved ones," he said. California State Superintendent of Education Tony Thurmond called Trump's military deployment and mass immigration raids "unnecessary," "a betrayal of our American values" and "an assault on all Californians" in a statement on June 9. Thurmond said about half of California kids have at least one immigrant parent. "Innocent children should never be in handcuffs, and families should never be torn apart by our government. Our children deserve to be protected and cared for, not terrified at school or ripped from their families," Thurmond said. "Let's be clear: When the President targets our immigrant families, he harms California's children." California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Thurmond have called on Trump to end the mass immigration raids and pull back National Guard troops from Los Angeles for the safety of Los Angeles families. 'My message to President Trump is very clear: keep your hands off California's kids," Thurmond said on June 9. "The President's unchecked, unnecessary deployment of our nation's military to the city of Los Angeles is deeply dangerous for our children, for our families, and for our country." The officials' sentiments haven't calmed the widespread fear among many of the city's vast immigrant communities. Britt Vaughan, a spokesperson for Los Angeles Unified school district, said that parents and community members have been anxiously calleing into schools to report federal immigration activity in their communities. Enriquez, from Palms Middle School, told students and their families at the commencement ceremony to use the momentum of graduation as an opportunity to stand up to what he called "injustice" against their community. "Be empowered. Injustices exist in the world," he said. "Speak up. Stand up against any injustice anywhere." Contact Kayla Jimenez at kjimenez@ Follow her on X at @kaylajjimenez. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fearing ICE, some LA families skip school graduations
Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Army, Trump love a $40 million parade. But nothing is planned for Navy, Marines
WASHINGTON — The Army's latest estimate for its major parade to celebrate its 250th anniversary – which falls on President Donald Trump's birthday – totals $40 million, including the cost of repairing streets in Washington, DC expected to be gnawed by tank treads. Meanwhile, the Navy, which also celebrates its 250th anniversary in October, has no plans for a similar parade, according to a spokesperson. The Marine Corps, too, has its 250th in November, and does not appear to have a parade on tap either. That leads a Democratic senator and member of the Armed Services Committee to believe that the June 14 parade featuring tanks, helicopters, warplanes and troops in period costume is as much about feeding Trump's ego as it is celebrating the Army's heritage. 'It is Donald Trump who is the focus of his own attention, and the Army birthday just happened to be a convenient excuse,' said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut. 'He might well celebrate all our military services together since their birthdays are imminent. 'I'm all in favor of celebrating the anniversaries of our services in a more appropriate way but without the extravagant expenditure of funds that are vital to our military.' More: Tanks, cannons and soldiers sleeping in DC offices: Inside Trump birthday military parade The administration insists that the Army's anniversary and Trump's birthday are a coincidence and that the parade is justified to honor soldiers' sacrifice. Plans for the June 14 parade began in earnest about a month ago. 'The President is planning an historic celebration of the Army's 250th birthday that will honor generations of selfless Americans who have risked everything for our freedom,' Domestic Policy Council Director Vince Haley said in a statement last month. Trump told NBC in May that the parade's cost was, 'Peanuts compared to the value of doing it." The Army has acknowledged that the parade is costly, but says the expense justified. Tens of millions spent on a parade 'is dwarfed by 250 years of service and sacrifice by America's Army,' spokesman Steve Warren told reporters recently. The Army's initial estimate for the parade covered a range from $25 to $45 million. But as the event nears the estimate has been refined and includes damage to streets and infrastructure anticipated from heavy armored vehicles, according to a Defense official who was not authorized to speak publicly. It's unclear how much the Army has budgeted to repair expected damage. The $40 million in taxpayer dollars will fund a parade featuring Abrams tanks, vintage World War II warplanes and thousands of soldiers marching in period uniforms to mark the nation's battles from the Revolutionary War to the present. A reviewing stand is being erected for Trump south of the White House. The Army is shipping tanks from Texas by railroad to Washington for the parade, and soldiers from other posts around the country. They will be housed downtown in government buildings transformed into makeshift barracks with thousands of cots. More: DC mayor worried tanks will chew up downtown streets in Army-Trump parade Military parades, especially France's annual Bastille Day celebration, have captivated Trump. But celebrations of military might are more common in authoritarian regimes. Every member of the Army participating in the parade, from private to general, will be expected to bunk in what the Army calls Life Support Areas, the official said. There are exceptions. Pvt. Doc Holliday being one. Doc is a blue heeler hound and 'cherished member of Horse Cavalry Detachment, according to the First Cavalry Division. Doc will be staying in a hotel with his handler, the official said. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Army gets a $40 million parade. What about the Navy, Marines?
