ICE’s Terror Campaign Is Part of a Long American Tradition
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/ January 27, 2026
ICE’s Terror Campaign Is Part of a Long American Tradition
As a Black man, I know firsthand how often state violence is used to perpetuate white supremacy in this country.
Robert Willis
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Protesters clash with law enforcement while holding a “noise demonstration” outside of a hotel believed to be housing federal immigration agents near Minneapolis, on January 26, 2026.
(Arthur Maiorella / Anadolu via Getty Images)
The deployment of federal armed forces in our cities is creating a new, terrifying reality for communities across the country. Some people may never have suffered anything like it before. But as a Black man who grew up in the South Bronx on the tailwinds of the civil rights era, over-policing is something I’ve experienced my entire life.
On January 17, federal agents murdered ICU nurse Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis after he tried to help another protester. Only 10 days earlier, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother. These horrific acts of state violence occurred just a short distance from where a white police officer brutally murdered George Floyd in 2020.
This is what state violence has always been—horrific and brutal. And once President Trump unleashed his ICE goons on cities across America, these tragedies were inevitable. As Americans, we should all pray for an end to this state terror. Sadly, history tells us the murders of Alex and Renee are unlikely to be the last.
When I see federal agents in our cities and violent attacks by masked men on thousands of people assumed to be undocumented immigrants, I recognize an old playbook dressed in new language.
When I was in the sixth grade—almost the same age as my grandsons now—four armed police officers came into my classroom and took away my friend David. We didn’t see him again for a week. Uniformed white men with guns had shown up and disappeared our friend, and there was nothing we could do about it. It turned out that David had been accused of a robbery, and he eventually came back to school. But I realized then, at just 11 years old, that there was no place safe from the police–not even a school classroom–and that any of us could be taken away at any time.
As a teenager during the crack epidemic, undercover police cars with tinted windows would regularly pull up to the playground where we played basketball. Armed cops wearing bulletproof vests would get out and make groups of 13-to-14-year-old kids stop our game and line up. Then they’d pat us all down, even though we were wearing basketball shorts. It felt like a lesson: We were powerless, and …
This affects the entire country.
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ICE’s Terror Campaign Is Part of a Long American Tradition
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Current Issue
Society
/ January 27, 2026
ICE’s Terror Campaign Is Part of a Long American Tradition
As a Black man, I know firsthand how often state violence is used to perpetuate white supremacy in this country.
Robert Willis
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
Protesters clash with law enforcement while holding a “noise demonstration” outside of a hotel believed to be housing federal immigration agents near Minneapolis, on January 26, 2026.
(Arthur Maiorella / Anadolu via Getty Images)
The deployment of federal armed forces in our cities is creating a new, terrifying reality for communities across the country. Some people may never have suffered anything like it before. But as a Black man who grew up in the South Bronx on the tailwinds of the civil rights era, over-policing is something I’ve experienced my entire life.
On January 17, federal agents murdered ICU nurse Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis after he tried to help another protester. Only 10 days earlier, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother. These horrific acts of state violence occurred just a short distance from where a white police officer brutally murdered George Floyd in 2020.
This is what state violence has always been—horrific and brutal. And once President Trump unleashed his ICE goons on cities across America, these tragedies were inevitable. As Americans, we should all pray for an end to this state terror. Sadly, history tells us the murders of Alex and Renee are unlikely to be the last.
When I see federal agents in our cities and violent attacks by masked men on thousands of people assumed to be undocumented immigrants, I recognize an old playbook dressed in new language.
When I was in the sixth grade—almost the same age as my grandsons now—four armed police officers came into my classroom and took away my friend David. We didn’t see him again for a week. Uniformed white men with guns had shown up and disappeared our friend, and there was nothing we could do about it. It turned out that David had been accused of a robbery, and he eventually came back to school. But I realized then, at just 11 years old, that there was no place safe from the police–not even a school classroom–and that any of us could be taken away at any time.
As a teenager during the crack epidemic, undercover police cars with tinted windows would regularly pull up to the playground where we played basketball. Armed cops wearing bulletproof vests would get out and make groups of 13-to-14-year-old kids stop our game and line up. Then they’d pat us all down, even though we were wearing basketball shorts. It felt like a lesson: We were powerless, and …
ICE’s Terror Campaign Is Part of a Long American Tradition
This affects the entire country.
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ICE’s Terror Campaign Is Part of a Long American Tradition
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Current Issue
Society
/ January 27, 2026
ICE’s Terror Campaign Is Part of a Long American Tradition
As a Black man, I know firsthand how often state violence is used to perpetuate white supremacy in this country.
Robert Willis
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
Protesters clash with law enforcement while holding a “noise demonstration” outside of a hotel believed to be housing federal immigration agents near Minneapolis, on January 26, 2026.
(Arthur Maiorella / Anadolu via Getty Images)
The deployment of federal armed forces in our cities is creating a new, terrifying reality for communities across the country. Some people may never have suffered anything like it before. But as a Black man who grew up in the South Bronx on the tailwinds of the civil rights era, over-policing is something I’ve experienced my entire life.
On January 17, federal agents murdered ICU nurse Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis after he tried to help another protester. Only 10 days earlier, an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother. These horrific acts of state violence occurred just a short distance from where a white police officer brutally murdered George Floyd in 2020.
This is what state violence has always been—horrific and brutal. And once President Trump unleashed his ICE goons on cities across America, these tragedies were inevitable. As Americans, we should all pray for an end to this state terror. Sadly, history tells us the murders of Alex and Renee are unlikely to be the last.
When I see federal agents in our cities and violent attacks by masked men on thousands of people assumed to be undocumented immigrants, I recognize an old playbook dressed in new language.
When I was in the sixth grade—almost the same age as my grandsons now—four armed police officers came into my classroom and took away my friend David. We didn’t see him again for a week. Uniformed white men with guns had shown up and disappeared our friend, and there was nothing we could do about it. It turned out that David had been accused of a robbery, and he eventually came back to school. But I realized then, at just 11 years old, that there was no place safe from the police–not even a school classroom–and that any of us could be taken away at any time.
As a teenager during the crack epidemic, undercover police cars with tinted windows would regularly pull up to the playground where we played basketball. Armed cops wearing bulletproof vests would get out and make groups of 13-to-14-year-old kids stop our game and line up. Then they’d pat us all down, even though we were wearing basketball shorts. It felt like a lesson: We were powerless, and …
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