this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2026
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[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 37 points 2 days ago (2 children)

What I want to see is people telling these ICE agents the truth.

Point out Trump's failing health, and that he might not even live long enough to finish his term. Show them that he has attacked anybody who could be his successor so the MAGA movement will collapse as soon as he's gone.

Let them know that they will be prosecuted like the guards for Hitler's concentration camps. Just following orders won't be any excuse. Even if they manage to avoid prison time, the fact they worked for ICE means that when Trump's out of office, nobody will ever hire them again. It doesn't matter if they were just doing it to feed their families, being a former ICE member will be seen like being a former member of the Gestapo, a mark of shame for their families for decades to come.

Tell them that hiding their faces isn't enough. Ask them if they fully trust every other ICE agent, or if ICE might have been infiltrated by protesters. Point out that their fellow agents have already screwed up and left behind lists of ICE agents when they've had to leave a place in a hurry. Tell them that with modern cameras it's just a matter of time before an unusual mole or the edges of a tattoo are enough to identify them.

Then tell them that there's only one way to salvage their reputations and their future career prospects, and that's to become whistle blowers.

[–] SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca 30 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (3 children)

Nice story, but January 6th rioters were all eventually given a pass, and that's what the ICE clowns anticipate. Just following orders, etc.

[–] samus12345@sh.itjust.works 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

They were...by Trump. He's gone in this scenario.

[–] Horsey@lemmy.world 8 points 2 days ago (1 children)

And in order to prosecute, you need an opposition party win or a republican with a backbone.

[–] Kalon@feddit.online 5 points 2 days ago

opposition party will win. unless democracy in this US is totally subverted (Unfortunately a real possibility). The real question is whether or not this Democrats have learned their lesson from last time, and be swift and bold.

[–] castlebravo404@lemmynsfw.com 8 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Presidential pardon doesn't cover state offenses.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 9 points 2 days ago (3 children)

Jan 6 rioters got a pass because Trump was elected. Once Trump is dead, that's no longer going to be possible.

[–] ProfThadBach@lemmy.world 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Well We have Vance just chopping at the bit to be the next Trump and while he does not have following Trump does what he does have it the GOP and the techbros backing him.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago

Vance may be champing at the bit, but he's also fucking at the couch, and there's no way that MAGA will fall in line behind him.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

most of them got slap on the wrist even before the election began, it was clear they dont want to upset the voter base of republicans.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 day ago

Most of them weren't caught doing anything more than breaking into the capitol building. The ones who actually attacked cops or did something violent got standard prison sentences for those kinds of crimes. Sure, I would have liked longer sentences. But, these were mostly first-time offenders who didn't do a violent crime, so they got sentences that go with that. The aim of the justice department wasn't to try to put them in prison for as long as possible, but to treat them the same as any other criminal. Maybe the idea was that that was going to make the cases harder to overturn on appeal because there wasn't any hint of political bias in the sentencing.

I think it would have had a pretty solid deterrent effect if Trump hadn't come back and commuted their sentences / pardoned them. But, pardoning them is yet another way he's completely throwing away the rule book.

[–] Aljernon@lemmy.today 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Tons of sociopaths are watching Trump and taking notes. With series reforms to both our society and political system, this will just happen again and with Peter Thiel practically owning JD Vance, it could be sooner than you think.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 day ago (2 children)

Trump is a one in a million manipulator. There's a reason this hasn't happened since Hitler and Mussolini. Various others like Marco Rubio, Ron DeSantis, etc. have all tried to use the same playbook and failed completely. If you think MAGA is going to fall in line behind couchfucker JD Vance, you're deluded. A big reason that Trump picked him as VP is that he knew Vance was no threat to him.

[–] Aljernon@lemmy.today 1 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

Trump picked Vance because he thought Vance was physically good looking enough to be his VP. No joke.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 2 points 21 hours ago

But not charismatic enough to challenge him. That's key.

[–] Aljernon@lemmy.today 0 points 23 hours ago (1 children)

There’s a reason this hasn’t happened since Hitler and Mussolini

That's a wild statement to make considering that Putin is a household name these days.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 1 points 21 hours ago (1 children)

Putin is hardly a charismatic leader. Might as well throw in Maduro or Noriega, or Saddam Hussein if you're going to talk about leaders who ruled through fear and force rather than charisma.

[–] Aljernon@lemmy.today 1 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

Putin has been more often than not genuinely popular with Russians; he was very successful at creating a persona that worked in his culture to secure and maintain power.

And while Maduro wasn't charismatic, Chavez certainly was

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 1 points 6 hours ago

You don't talk about Hitler "more often than not" being popular with Germans. Hitler famously had huge rallies filling stadiums.

[–] ChunkMcHorkle@lemmy.world 7 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) (1 children)

Oh hell yeah. And I'd add this:

The truth is that they are counting on getting a signing bonus in five years from a man who famously never pays his bills and probably won't even be alive then, working for a woman who they think has their back but who doxxed Jonathan Ross within two hours of committing murder for her. Within a year they will wish with all their might they'd never even heard of ICE, and there will never be a moment for the rest of their lives when it does not hang over their heads.

And if they really want truth, they should go talk to some retired cops, and talk about how the passage of time eats away at the excuses while magnifying the bare facts of one's own actions, to the point that a disproportionate number of them eat their guns. So whichever way they look, the forecast is shit in every direction. It doesn't pay to be a murderous fucking ghoul.

[–] merc@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

And cops are well respected compared to ICE agents, in every way. I'd say about 70% of the US hates ICE agents, whereas about 50% truly like and respect cops. But, even among the die-hard MAGA Republicans who want ICE to snatch people off the street and beat up the non-whites, they still don't respect them. They're thugs who are working for their own side.

[–] lolo@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I totally respect where you’re trying to go, but what are these percentages you’ve imagined? Where do these numbers come from? That’s my favorite thing on the internet, people make up numbers and just proclaim them. I can’t, lol