Well now we know where all the Proud Boys went. Weird tattoos, kinda sketchy, inexperienced. sounds about right. I know I’m painting a broad brush, but can’t help but wonder
And don't forget what it would mean to guys who love guns to be given "total immunity" if they use them. Witness the profane epithet directed at Renee Good by the man who had just killed her. I am very concerned with the probability that the segment of rural Americans that genuinely hate the multicultural/liberal aspect of city life are free to join ICE and go after the "libtards". I doubt ICE provides anything to screen out such people.
And not just the proud boys. Under-covered by the media, the right wing militias in the Western states, Oregon, Washington, Montana etc - they never went away. They've now been deputized.
Yep, that said, those of us super progressives they oppose are arming ourselves in record numbers here in the PNW....training together, feeding folks together, building community together....
Appreciate this reporting, it’s good to hear about the declining morale and the FBI starting to decline to cooperate with ICE.
Something that did come up for me - you mention that the veteran ICE agents all think Alex Pretti’s murder was committed by new recruits, and that the lowered hiring standards are the reason for why that happened. But I don’t see any sources here confirming that his killers were actually new recruits. I think it would help to have either cited sources about the killers’ background, or a clarification that makes clear that that’s not verified information.
I am also surprised and disappointed by this framing about the new recruits being responsible for the sloppiness being presented without counterargument. The man who murdered Renee Good was a veteran ICE agent who was hired during the Obama administration. Not one of the “new guys” and certainly not untrained. Police officers who have been working for years also kill unarmed people all the time. I think this article could afford to push back on its sources more, I feel that that’s something you normally do.
I explicitly said "if that's what happened" to emphasize that this is just what they're saying - don't see how i can push back more than that! also the assertion that a trained agent killed him is Bovino's and the administration, which I also do not accept as fact.
I personally feel that there would be value in more explicitly saying that there are no reliable sources confirming that (like you said in this comment, that you don’t believe Bovino and co. are credible). I also do feel that there’s value in citing the fact that the one other high profile murder that everyone knows of (Renee Good) was committed by an ICE officer who had been with ICE for more than a decade. I think it’s more clear pushback on that narrative than the comment in parentheses.
The reason I say this is because we’re all seeing Democrats go all in on the lie right now that the issue with ICE is that they’re “untrained.” I think that’s a dangerous narrative that makes ICE seem like they are not an inherently violent agency. ICE agents really benefit from that false framing and because of that, I think it’s worth strongly pushing back on with facts.
Thanks for the reply and for acknowledging the feedback, even if we disagree.
Nice try ! Apparently you have little or no real law enforcement or military experience, but read and can critique. In the Good case, 8 or more ICE agents giving civilians contradictory directive is called chaos, mistakes are made and guns are used. Then the talking begins.
The video of the Pretti shooting is called “murder” by any standard, police work, military combat, Geneva Convention, etc. ICE was in possession of his gun when it left his side. Shots fired afterwards.
I find it quite plausible that ICE veterans strongly dislike the clown show every night on television which show unprofessional and poorly trained operations. Where was all this video 3 years ago; why now ? Might it be it’s a clown show because ICE has more clowns.
Nothing in this reply contradicts what I said, which is that we have no evidence that untrained officers caused the deaths of Good and Pretti. “Nice try!” right back at you lmao 😭
I have no idea why people are deciding to argue the differences between the two murders with me that have nothing to do with the one commonality I was pointing out. I have no interest in continuing this conversation. Have a nice day!
I agree with you. New recruits aside, which really just resembles the lowering of the bar for military around 2005, there seems to be a lack of knowledge about the historical differences between ice and border and the creep into ice in the last 10-15 years [while Homan was there] of the white power types, as well as a statistically odd number of Marines. The narrative is concerning as it will lead to problematic conclusions. Like everything in life, ask the wrong question you get the wrong answer.
If it was a “tragic overreaction “ then why did the government immediately lionize Ross, label her a domestic terrorist, and then investigate her wife? These killings are no accident. DHS culture is beyond evil. They’re on a mission to terrorize us into submission. They have their mission to brutalize the enemy “within. “
That said, there are sooo many more of us than them....and we will NOT submit...at least not enough of us to stop this madness...and if we don't at midterms, then likely by any means necessary. NOTE, I do NOT advocate violence retaliation, yet I do see it may come to this if our government continues to be complicit on all sides.
I think they were both cold-blooded murder. The shot that killed Renée Good was the third one, fired at a point when Ross was clearly out of danger from Good's car.
But I agree he should have been given some time off after the previous incident.
I agree it was murder not necessarily because of the shooting but because they refused to let a doctor come near. Renee Goods life could have been saved. Evil stuff.
The point I was making was only that there is no evidence that more training would have saved either Pretti or Good, nor that new recruits or bad new hiring standards were responsible for their deaths, like the ICE agents in this article and Democratic politicians are trying to get us to believe. Their murders have that in common.
Additionally, ICE agents on the scene prevented a doctor from reaching Renee Good and giving her aid, guaranteeing her death. There also hasn’t been an investigation, so it’s very premature (and generous) to assume Ross had no bad intentions and that killing her was a “tragic overreaction.” Even if that were true, the agency that put a potentially traumatized man on the streets, armed him, and gave him complete immunity for murder, killed her.
The last thing is that “criminal illegal alien” is dehumanizing, cruel language even when applied to awful people. Describing that guy as a person who had been convicted of sexual abuse is a lot more useful to anyone reading, and less harmful.
What you are implying is that because Ross was nearly run over in a previous encounter, he panicked when Good started to move her vehicle. The problem here is that the police can't afford to have officers who panic when faced with a potentially dangerous situation. Officers who panic are a danger to themselves, other officers and everyone around them, and any officer who shows a tendency to panic needs to be removed from the force.
ICE is guilty of keeping Ross on the front line if indeed he was so traumatized that he didn't have his head on straight.
Personally, I see him going around and in front of the car at least twice. That doesn't sound all that 'traumatized' to me. JD Vance,, off of his couch, was attempting to put a fig leaf over the murder.
I think you might have meant to reply to the comment I was replying to? I said the same thing that you are here, which is that Ross never should have been on the streets.
As a licensed trauma-focused psychotherapist, you prove the point all the more [re: Ross]. IF he was traumatized, he should not be on the fucking job PERIOD FULL STOP. If he cannot be disciplined and remain calm and level headed as his CNS is in full on fight or flight, he needs therapy and to not be in the field with a fecking killing weapn... that said, I saw no sign of the usual symptomology of someone with PTSD/trauma/fear -more like he is a misogynistic asshole and he wasn't acting in a trauma induced way, he acted more like a domestic violence perp, read, if you would have obeyed and cooked my meal properly, I would not have had to beat you up, you "fucking bitch."
Given Ross grew up in the CBP at a time it was known for stepping in front of vehicles to justify lethal force, perhaps that tactic put him at risk both times. Don't know Ross and doubt his actions will be properly investigated. If both incidents were a tactic to kill, it is easy to hope his guilt eats him alive.
Ya cause he had his phone in his hand and walked from the back of the car around the passenger side to the front for no reason. The first to release the video was no accident.
Overtime pay never trumps murder. These guys don't have to report for duty. Burger King would keep them from having to explain killing an innocent victim with a gun you should never have been issued. I'm beyond outraged.
I find myself wondering if Pretti were not white if the reactions and analysis from these ICE agents would be the same. They paint the newcomers as questonable, but haven't we alll seen enough of the past year to have had a lot of these questions answered as to what ICE is really doing, what th e mission is? It's one thing to support enorcement of immigration laws, its quite another to get up every day and contribute to the frontlines of cruelty theatre -- racist cruelty theatre. I could believe an ICE agent who did some round-ups for immigration enforcement in the first few months not realizing what these people would be subjected to in El Salvador and elsewhere. But they can't say they don't know now what's going on.
Thank you for lowering my anxiety level a bit--I was already envisioning tanks rolling down my street next week. Hurray for the good people of Minnesota!! And thank you once again for your ongoing stellar work, Mr. Klippenstein.
There is still a good chance that happens. As Ken noted, a lot of these guys see themselves as occupying a hostile foreign city. If they believe it, their ideology-driven leaders absolutely believe it. They may be bumped back for the moment, but the logic of fascism demands that it keep accelerating. This will get worse.
They heard Vance and Miller say they had "absolute immunity" and they went out lib hunting, forgetting that to be a fascist is to be a jackal. For all the administration's caterwauling about doxxing federal agents, they will very visibly string up a couple of these chodes in plate carriers in a heartbeat to get the heat off themselves.
Pretty good chance the lot of them will be doxxed. Ironically, because DHS has de-emphasized cybersecurity and federal systems have a long history of being breached. Or disgusted insiders just leaking...
yep, they showed up at a candlelight vigil for Alex in Eugene OR on Tuesday, and were super aggressive and gassed teenagers and took folks down, etc...
It's great to hear from actual ICE agents who agree that Alex Pretti should not have been killed, and who are exasperated that the Trump administration is spinning tales that don't match the video.
Agree - but then we also get reporting that the dude who pepper sprayed protester in face while subdued, responded with an Amelia meme saying something like defending the homeland when he was doxed. Some on the ground are zealots who believe they will be protected. So be careful out there folks.
Great reporting, Ken. The majority of these agents want to do their job in a professional manner. It's not surprising but reassuring that most feel tainted by association with what's happened in Minneapolis.
Why would you assume that? Did you read how they are recruiting them through the MAGA connections? You must want to be reassured that your government which has occupied over 10 cities across the US is just recruiting people to "do their job," and with those two murders, they obviously are. This is FASCISM, boy, and you do not want to see it. "When ICE occupied Chicago the "Guardian" reported that DHS had “– the use of military equipment and military tactics like armored vehicles, Black Hawk helicopters, Predator drones and military weapons”. I am writing about this stuff, and you are just beginning to think about what this means.
People should know the historical reference to FORT SNELLING:
'Authorized after the War of 1812 to secure the region, construction began in 1819 under Colonel Josiah Snelling. Originally named Fort St. Anthony, it was designed to protect U.S. interests, control the fur trade, and exert authority over the Dakota and Ojibwe lands.
('EXERT AUTHORITY" meant make war on the indigenous nations).
"The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862: Following the conflict, over 1,600 Dakota—mostly women, children, and the elderly—were forced into an internment camp at the fort during the winter of 1862-1863, where hundreds died from disease and malnutrition..."
Yep, Hitler did not hide the fact his playbook was taken from a fledgling USA and how the First Nations folks were treated and later the slavers and KKK.
Given what happened in Chicago, what sense do you have that the ICE ranks are also populated by former (current?) employees of private military contractors such as Blackwater (has a different name now), owned by Erik Prince, brother of Betsy DeVos, that the U.S. used in Iraq and Afghanistan?
I have not done that research, but I shall. Right now I am trying to find out what happened to the 3 Oglala Sioux men who were arrested ( A "ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITHOUT PAPERS!) and now their families and leaders can't find them.
I don't have to see my client's trauma to see the "footprints" left and correctly identify the abuse....Alex brings a valid point, I am also quite learned in fascism [historically started in the young USA], having lived in several countries ruled by a dictator, communism, and sharia law at various times... yes, if you don't think we are already in a fascist state, you are willfully ignorant.
I’d assume in general that most people are not wacky. I’ve gotten overwrought criticisms from people defending the indefensible, i.e., the murders. Now, you are aiding their narrative by criticizing me for saying that it is good that all the ICE agents Ken spoke to disapproved of the murders.
I was responding to John. I would not have paid ( quite a lot) to get this on this Kliopenstein substack if I disagreed with it. I live in an area where ICE conducts raids all the time, because, by the seacoast and near Home Depot, working people waiting for work are often undocumented. I have known men to be captured in their homes, put on planes and sent no-one knows where, and this has gone on here and elsewhere for years. UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE ARE NOT CRIMINALS. And the people who have been in the anti-racist Pro-immigrant movement know that; I have no positive feelings about ICE or the Border Patrol, and if you did some deep research, you would find how racist they are, and they are murderers too. Armed men who are hired to "Uphold the Law" are not always decent people. Your criticism of me is based on ignorance of the history of this entire situation. Obama kept undocumented children in cages. Anti-immigration ideology and violence has a long, long history in the US .
Am with you on this David and do not think painting ICE and CBP as gestapo agents with a broad brush is useful rhetoric. Do believe leadership is angling for roll the tanks in conflict and bringing the most gungho hot heads to bear. But we do need immigration and border control functions as a country. Our VP and SecDHS promising absolute immunity as rage bait is despicable and our congressional representatives mumbling about supporting law enforcement is weak and morally bankrupt.
People will stop calling them the gestapo when they take off the masks, publicly denounce their criminal agency, and testify before congress, laying out the crimes committed by fellow agents.
Jonathan Ross has been with DHS for 10+ years, and was a *trainer*. The whole agency is rotten to the core.
Feds should take off their masks and identify themselves and get judicial warrants.
The facts in these shootings are damning enough without labels. We owe a great debt to the MN people who are gathering video evidence intentionally and obviously at some risk.
Good and Pretti will be remembered as great Patriots.
Your reporting is so good and unlike anyone else's. I am always recommending you to others. The fact that you make it all public/free is also amazing and important. I finally quit being a cheap ass and subscribed today. THANK YOU!
First, this isn't 'immigration enforcement.' We didn't need a whole new militarized goon squad with extra-judicial powers to enforce immigration. The US already spends more on policing than any other nation on earth, and our prison system would make Stalin blush.
ICE is performing exactly as intended, deputizing the entire hard right-wing militia movement as a private army for whichever president is running the show.
And in congress, liberals are bleating 'oh, we should insist on body cams!' as if the murderer of Good wasn't filming the encounter himself.
All power to the people. The people united will never be defeated.
Resistance works. Everything else is commentary
Well now we know where all the Proud Boys went. Weird tattoos, kinda sketchy, inexperienced. sounds about right. I know I’m painting a broad brush, but can’t help but wonder
You do have to wonder who's responding to the insane memes DHS' socials are posting
And don't forget what it would mean to guys who love guns to be given "total immunity" if they use them. Witness the profane epithet directed at Renee Good by the man who had just killed her. I am very concerned with the probability that the segment of rural Americans that genuinely hate the multicultural/liberal aspect of city life are free to join ICE and go after the "libtards". I doubt ICE provides anything to screen out such people.
I am not a fan of guns...But I am now armed, trained, confident, and disciplined...as are many of our progressive compatriots...
And not just the proud boys. Under-covered by the media, the right wing militias in the Western states, Oregon, Washington, Montana etc - they never went away. They've now been deputized.
Yep, that said, those of us super progressives they oppose are arming ourselves in record numbers here in the PNW....training together, feeding folks together, building community together....
of course, that is why they aren't messing with the protesters anymore as the proud boys, the blah blah blah bois....
Appreciate this reporting, it’s good to hear about the declining morale and the FBI starting to decline to cooperate with ICE.
Something that did come up for me - you mention that the veteran ICE agents all think Alex Pretti’s murder was committed by new recruits, and that the lowered hiring standards are the reason for why that happened. But I don’t see any sources here confirming that his killers were actually new recruits. I think it would help to have either cited sources about the killers’ background, or a clarification that makes clear that that’s not verified information.
I am also surprised and disappointed by this framing about the new recruits being responsible for the sloppiness being presented without counterargument. The man who murdered Renee Good was a veteran ICE agent who was hired during the Obama administration. Not one of the “new guys” and certainly not untrained. Police officers who have been working for years also kill unarmed people all the time. I think this article could afford to push back on its sources more, I feel that that’s something you normally do.
I explicitly said "if that's what happened" to emphasize that this is just what they're saying - don't see how i can push back more than that! also the assertion that a trained agent killed him is Bovino's and the administration, which I also do not accept as fact.
I personally feel that there would be value in more explicitly saying that there are no reliable sources confirming that (like you said in this comment, that you don’t believe Bovino and co. are credible). I also do feel that there’s value in citing the fact that the one other high profile murder that everyone knows of (Renee Good) was committed by an ICE officer who had been with ICE for more than a decade. I think it’s more clear pushback on that narrative than the comment in parentheses.
The reason I say this is because we’re all seeing Democrats go all in on the lie right now that the issue with ICE is that they’re “untrained.” I think that’s a dangerous narrative that makes ICE seem like they are not an inherently violent agency. ICE agents really benefit from that false framing and because of that, I think it’s worth strongly pushing back on with facts.
Thanks for the reply and for acknowledging the feedback, even if we disagree.
Nice try ! Apparently you have little or no real law enforcement or military experience, but read and can critique. In the Good case, 8 or more ICE agents giving civilians contradictory directive is called chaos, mistakes are made and guns are used. Then the talking begins.
The video of the Pretti shooting is called “murder” by any standard, police work, military combat, Geneva Convention, etc. ICE was in possession of his gun when it left his side. Shots fired afterwards.
I find it quite plausible that ICE veterans strongly dislike the clown show every night on television which show unprofessional and poorly trained operations. Where was all this video 3 years ago; why now ? Might it be it’s a clown show because ICE has more clowns.
Nothing in this reply contradicts what I said, which is that we have no evidence that untrained officers caused the deaths of Good and Pretti. “Nice try!” right back at you lmao 😭
I have no idea why people are deciding to argue the differences between the two murders with me that have nothing to do with the one commonality I was pointing out. I have no interest in continuing this conversation. Have a nice day!
I agree with you. New recruits aside, which really just resembles the lowering of the bar for military around 2005, there seems to be a lack of knowledge about the historical differences between ice and border and the creep into ice in the last 10-15 years [while Homan was there] of the white power types, as well as a statistically odd number of Marines. The narrative is concerning as it will lead to problematic conclusions. Like everything in life, ask the wrong question you get the wrong answer.
In defense of Ross (barf) he was nearly run over by a criminal illegal alien and this probably contributed to his over-response.
That does not mean it was justified, he should have been removed from the force and retrained.
This shooting is nowhere like the Goode case. The Goode case was a tragic overreaction that should not have happened. This is cold blooded murder.
If it was a “tragic overreaction “ then why did the government immediately lionize Ross, label her a domestic terrorist, and then investigate her wife? These killings are no accident. DHS culture is beyond evil. They’re on a mission to terrorize us into submission. They have their mission to brutalize the enemy “within. “
T H I S
100000000%
That said, there are sooo many more of us than them....and we will NOT submit...at least not enough of us to stop this madness...and if we don't at midterms, then likely by any means necessary. NOTE, I do NOT advocate violence retaliation, yet I do see it may come to this if our government continues to be complicit on all sides.
I think they were both cold-blooded murder. The shot that killed Renée Good was the third one, fired at a point when Ross was clearly out of danger from Good's car.
But I agree he should have been given some time off after the previous incident.
I agree it was murder not necessarily because of the shooting but because they refused to let a doctor come near. Renee Goods life could have been saved. Evil stuff.
Why are we all assuming the govt's story about the prior incident and him being dragged is true? Since when do they tell the truth?
The point I was making was only that there is no evidence that more training would have saved either Pretti or Good, nor that new recruits or bad new hiring standards were responsible for their deaths, like the ICE agents in this article and Democratic politicians are trying to get us to believe. Their murders have that in common.
Additionally, ICE agents on the scene prevented a doctor from reaching Renee Good and giving her aid, guaranteeing her death. There also hasn’t been an investigation, so it’s very premature (and generous) to assume Ross had no bad intentions and that killing her was a “tragic overreaction.” Even if that were true, the agency that put a potentially traumatized man on the streets, armed him, and gave him complete immunity for murder, killed her.
The last thing is that “criminal illegal alien” is dehumanizing, cruel language even when applied to awful people. Describing that guy as a person who had been convicted of sexual abuse is a lot more useful to anyone reading, and less harmful.
Eh. I'm fine with the language.
I don't see people calling out words like 'Zionist' in cases where it is clearly used to dehumanize instead of describe.
We all have crimes we see humanized others for and a sexual abuser is one of mine. (ICE murdering fascist is another.)
"I don't see people calling out words like 'Zionist' in cases where it is clearly used to dehumanize instead of describe."
A curious distinction (especially when one factor bleeds heavily into the other given historical realities and [known and/or acknowledged] facts).
One could say the same thing for the words "Nazi" or "fascist".
(God knows "communist" is used that way with nary a peep in response . . . .)
What you are implying is that because Ross was nearly run over in a previous encounter, he panicked when Good started to move her vehicle. The problem here is that the police can't afford to have officers who panic when faced with a potentially dangerous situation. Officers who panic are a danger to themselves, other officers and everyone around them, and any officer who shows a tendency to panic needs to be removed from the force.
ICE is guilty of keeping Ross on the front line if indeed he was so traumatized that he didn't have his head on straight.
Personally, I see him going around and in front of the car at least twice. That doesn't sound all that 'traumatized' to me. JD Vance,, off of his couch, was attempting to put a fig leaf over the murder.
I think you might have meant to reply to the comment I was replying to? I said the same thing that you are here, which is that Ross never should have been on the streets.
I didn't see that implied, but repeated from Noem's bullshit, sociopathic narrative.
I agree fully.
As a licensed trauma-focused psychotherapist, you prove the point all the more [re: Ross]. IF he was traumatized, he should not be on the fucking job PERIOD FULL STOP. If he cannot be disciplined and remain calm and level headed as his CNS is in full on fight or flight, he needs therapy and to not be in the field with a fecking killing weapn... that said, I saw no sign of the usual symptomology of someone with PTSD/trauma/fear -more like he is a misogynistic asshole and he wasn't acting in a trauma induced way, he acted more like a domestic violence perp, read, if you would have obeyed and cooked my meal properly, I would not have had to beat you up, you "fucking bitch."
Given Ross grew up in the CBP at a time it was known for stepping in front of vehicles to justify lethal force, perhaps that tactic put him at risk both times. Don't know Ross and doubt his actions will be properly investigated. If both incidents were a tactic to kill, it is easy to hope his guilt eats him alive.
THIS
Also, sociopaths have no guilt.
It can be true that sociopaths might have no guilt. Let's hope he is merely deranged.
Ya cause he had his phone in his hand and walked from the back of the car around the passenger side to the front for no reason. The first to release the video was no accident.
Phenomenal reporting, thank you for keeping truth at the forefront.
“The best they can do is shoot the guy in the back?”
No, the best they could do is shoot the guy in the back AND clap.
sick stuff
AND count bullet holes gleefully....
Overtime pay never trumps murder. These guys don't have to report for duty. Burger King would keep them from having to explain killing an innocent victim with a gun you should never have been issued. I'm beyond outraged.
I find myself wondering if Pretti were not white if the reactions and analysis from these ICE agents would be the same. They paint the newcomers as questonable, but haven't we alll seen enough of the past year to have had a lot of these questions answered as to what ICE is really doing, what th e mission is? It's one thing to support enorcement of immigration laws, its quite another to get up every day and contribute to the frontlines of cruelty theatre -- racist cruelty theatre. I could believe an ICE agent who did some round-ups for immigration enforcement in the first few months not realizing what these people would be subjected to in El Salvador and elsewhere. But they can't say they don't know now what's going on.
I keep wondering how many of the new guys are Jan. 6 graduates.
Thank you for lowering my anxiety level a bit--I was already envisioning tanks rolling down my street next week. Hurray for the good people of Minnesota!! And thank you once again for your ongoing stellar work, Mr. Klippenstein.
There is still a good chance that happens. As Ken noted, a lot of these guys see themselves as occupying a hostile foreign city. If they believe it, their ideology-driven leaders absolutely believe it. They may be bumped back for the moment, but the logic of fascism demands that it keep accelerating. This will get worse.
They heard Vance and Miller say they had "absolute immunity" and they went out lib hunting, forgetting that to be a fascist is to be a jackal. For all the administration's caterwauling about doxxing federal agents, they will very visibly string up a couple of these chodes in plate carriers in a heartbeat to get the heat off themselves.
Pretty good chance the lot of them will be doxxed. Ironically, because DHS has de-emphasized cybersecurity and federal systems have a long history of being breached. Or disgusted insiders just leaking...
yep, they showed up at a candlelight vigil for Alex in Eugene OR on Tuesday, and were super aggressive and gassed teenagers and took folks down, etc...
It's great to hear from actual ICE agents who agree that Alex Pretti should not have been killed, and who are exasperated that the Trump administration is spinning tales that don't match the video.
Agree - but then we also get reporting that the dude who pepper sprayed protester in face while subdued, responded with an Amelia meme saying something like defending the homeland when he was doxed. Some on the ground are zealots who believe they will be protected. So be careful out there folks.
Great reporting, Ken. The majority of these agents want to do their job in a professional manner. It's not surprising but reassuring that most feel tainted by association with what's happened in Minneapolis.
"most gestapo agents want to quietly do ethnic cleansing in a professional manner"
Why would you assume that? Did you read how they are recruiting them through the MAGA connections? You must want to be reassured that your government which has occupied over 10 cities across the US is just recruiting people to "do their job," and with those two murders, they obviously are. This is FASCISM, boy, and you do not want to see it. "When ICE occupied Chicago the "Guardian" reported that DHS had “– the use of military equipment and military tactics like armored vehicles, Black Hawk helicopters, Predator drones and military weapons”. I am writing about this stuff, and you are just beginning to think about what this means.
People should know the historical reference to FORT SNELLING:
'Authorized after the War of 1812 to secure the region, construction began in 1819 under Colonel Josiah Snelling. Originally named Fort St. Anthony, it was designed to protect U.S. interests, control the fur trade, and exert authority over the Dakota and Ojibwe lands.
('EXERT AUTHORITY" meant make war on the indigenous nations).
"The U.S.-Dakota War of 1862: Following the conflict, over 1,600 Dakota—mostly women, children, and the elderly—were forced into an internment camp at the fort during the winter of 1862-1863, where hundreds died from disease and malnutrition..."
Yep, Hitler did not hide the fact his playbook was taken from a fledgling USA and how the First Nations folks were treated and later the slavers and KKK.
Given what happened in Chicago, what sense do you have that the ICE ranks are also populated by former (current?) employees of private military contractors such as Blackwater (has a different name now), owned by Erik Prince, brother of Betsy DeVos, that the U.S. used in Iraq and Afghanistan?
I have not done that research, but I shall. Right now I am trying to find out what happened to the 3 Oglala Sioux men who were arrested ( A "ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WITHOUT PAPERS!) and now their families and leaders can't find them.
I don't have to see my client's trauma to see the "footprints" left and correctly identify the abuse....Alex brings a valid point, I am also quite learned in fascism [historically started in the young USA], having lived in several countries ruled by a dictator, communism, and sharia law at various times... yes, if you don't think we are already in a fascist state, you are willfully ignorant.
I’d assume in general that most people are not wacky. I’ve gotten overwrought criticisms from people defending the indefensible, i.e., the murders. Now, you are aiding their narrative by criticizing me for saying that it is good that all the ICE agents Ken spoke to disapproved of the murders.
I was responding to John. I would not have paid ( quite a lot) to get this on this Kliopenstein substack if I disagreed with it. I live in an area where ICE conducts raids all the time, because, by the seacoast and near Home Depot, working people waiting for work are often undocumented. I have known men to be captured in their homes, put on planes and sent no-one knows where, and this has gone on here and elsewhere for years. UNDOCUMENTED PEOPLE ARE NOT CRIMINALS. And the people who have been in the anti-racist Pro-immigrant movement know that; I have no positive feelings about ICE or the Border Patrol, and if you did some deep research, you would find how racist they are, and they are murderers too. Armed men who are hired to "Uphold the Law" are not always decent people. Your criticism of me is based on ignorance of the history of this entire situation. Obama kept undocumented children in cages. Anti-immigration ideology and violence has a long, long history in the US .
Am with you on this David and do not think painting ICE and CBP as gestapo agents with a broad brush is useful rhetoric. Do believe leadership is angling for roll the tanks in conflict and bringing the most gungho hot heads to bear. But we do need immigration and border control functions as a country. Our VP and SecDHS promising absolute immunity as rage bait is despicable and our congressional representatives mumbling about supporting law enforcement is weak and morally bankrupt.
People will stop calling them the gestapo when they take off the masks, publicly denounce their criminal agency, and testify before congress, laying out the crimes committed by fellow agents.
Jonathan Ross has been with DHS for 10+ years, and was a *trainer*. The whole agency is rotten to the core.
Feds should take off their masks and identify themselves and get judicial warrants.
The facts in these shootings are damning enough without labels. We owe a great debt to the MN people who are gathering video evidence intentionally and obviously at some risk.
Good and Pretti will be remembered as great Patriots.
This is an inconvenient—yet necessary—read.
Your reporting is so good and unlike anyone else's. I am always recommending you to others. The fact that you make it all public/free is also amazing and important. I finally quit being a cheap ass and subscribed today. THANK YOU!
Thanks so much Marianne !! 🥹
First, this isn't 'immigration enforcement.' We didn't need a whole new militarized goon squad with extra-judicial powers to enforce immigration. The US already spends more on policing than any other nation on earth, and our prison system would make Stalin blush.
ICE is performing exactly as intended, deputizing the entire hard right-wing militia movement as a private army for whichever president is running the show.
And in congress, liberals are bleating 'oh, we should insist on body cams!' as if the murderer of Good wasn't filming the encounter himself.