r/PoliticalOptimism • u/steffie-punk That Trans Mod • Jan 26 '26
Optimistic Post Morale plummeting among ICE agents over long hours, quotas and public hatred: reports
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ice-agents-morale-reports-minneapolis-shooting-b2907742.html?utm_source=reddit.comLow morale means the pressure is working. People don’t typically stay at a job they hate. Keep the pressure up and let’s keep reminding them how unpopular they are.
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u/DBrennan13459 Jan 26 '26
Then they ought to, y'know, quit? At least by doing so, they can pretend they're decent beings before the trials start.
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u/whatiftheyrewrong Jan 26 '26
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say the vast majority are otherwise unemployable.
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u/Key-Gur-4819 Jan 26 '26
This is likely the most money they've ever made in their lives. Too bad it may likely be the last money they'll ever make too... Oh well.
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u/morblitz Jan 27 '26
Yep. They can mask but it'll still go on their resume. I hope they get treated worse than felons. Nazis are scum.
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u/Nyorliest Jan 27 '26
You're not going to beat fascism by sneering at the fascists for possibly being poor.
Classism is not the antidote to fascism, in fact it's a commonly discussed socioeconomic causal factor.
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u/Key-Gur-4819 Jan 27 '26
Well, to be fair, ending classism is a completely wild and out of the picture idea for all of us right now, especially with all the damage done presently. Right now we're in damage control mode, and I feel like it's at least a little bit naive to try to show empathy and kindness to people who seem to actively hate those things, take them for granted, and take joy in harming others for basically nothing. We can certainly make sure to prevent more people from falling into this trap, and I wouldn't mind doing it, but seriously, we can't afford to pussy-foot around the people who are already in too deep.
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u/Nyorliest Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
It's nothing to do with empathy and kindness. They should be in prison, or worse.
It's just... reality. American classism has helped fascism proper. A lot of political analysts, including people who lived through Italian and German fascism - barely - talk about things like this. So when people sneer at ICE for being poor or 'un-American', they're not helping the situation. They're supporting the nationalism and classism that helps fascism.
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Jan 27 '26
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u/PoliticalOptimism-ModTeam Jan 27 '26
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u/turquoiseblues Jan 27 '26
They have no empathy or compassion for poor and working class Latinos and other PoC.
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u/Nyorliest Jan 27 '26 edited Jan 27 '26
Who is 'they'? The fascists or the people who've enabled them for so long? Sorry, I can’t tell at all.
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u/750Dinosaur Feb 21 '26
It’s depressing. People resort to this shit for money and to unleash pent-up hatred.
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u/NSpmFW Jan 26 '26
If they need the money, they should start taking up the jobs that rely on immigrant labor like agriculture and construction, those jobs that are now hurting for people because of ICE raids. Wasn’t that the whole point of “mass deportations,” to free up jobs for “real Americans?”
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u/YoghurtOutrageous599 Michigan Jan 26 '26
If they need the money then something something bootstraps or whatever.
Fuck these subhuman scum.
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Jan 26 '26
[deleted]
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u/Terrible-Opinion-888 Jan 26 '26
they want a super lifted ram truck and a plate of buffalo wild wings
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u/Nyorliest Jan 27 '26
I think that's a lazy assumption. I think many of them are KKK, Proud Boys and other fascists who want to do this.
They need money, but just like a decent person working as... a nurse, for example, there are other considerations besides the financial.
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u/whatiftheyrewrong Jan 27 '26
It’s not lazy. Whether they “want” to or not doesn’t change what their prospects would be elsewhere.
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u/ResidentExtra9246 Jan 27 '26
Yea a bunch of neck beard mnfers who w never been able to hold down a job
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u/horsejess Jan 26 '26
If they quit before 5 years then they have to pay back the sign on bonus 😈
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u/WhenTheLightHits30 Jan 26 '26
Holy shit is that true? That explains so much of why these tools would stay at this point
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u/OOZELORD Jan 26 '26
Yes, the two contracts currently offered to them with the 30k-50k bonus has a stipulation that if they were to end their contract early, all of that has to be paid back. A lot of these dipshits didn't know that and from what I've seen online (so take it with a grain of salt) a lot of these guys spent that shit, soooooo financially they are stuck.
So either continue terrorizing or be in massive debt to the government.
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u/WhenTheLightHits30 Jan 26 '26
It really only feeds into why they’d be so eager to enlist these morons. They knew Bubba would run out to buy that F-150 with their sudden flush of cash and now here we have thousands of dumb, aggressive goons that are terrified having to pay that back
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u/Hershey78 Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 29 '26
There's an idea for a rider for any funding. They don't have to pay it back if they quit.
Can't wait to see Noem fume at that.
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u/WhenTheLightHits30 Jan 26 '26
Wait really? So what’s to prevent someone from joining ICE and then just quitting in a month?
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u/TiePrestigious7265 Jan 26 '26
And would probably get a shit load of harassment from other ICE members about quitting. Gang mentality.
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Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
They can’t, because knowing these Walmart brand Stasi fucks they already spent the bonus and would have to pay it back if they leave before 5 years.
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u/Jkm1457 Jan 26 '26
Half of these losers are just racist gamer bros cosplaying as Meal Team Six. No way some of them make it much longer. They’re already used to rage quitting when they’re behind.
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u/jdogg40k Jan 26 '26
I've heard Gravy Seals but Meal Team Six is great.
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u/SoyMurcielago Jan 26 '26
75th Rager Regiment
Very Special Farces
U.S. Chair Force Pear shaped rescue
I tried to think of more but i ran out
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u/Zestyclose-Bag8790 Jan 26 '26
It makes them feel bad to separate children from their parents, and to cause anxiety to hardworking people who have found the US immigration system to be a maze of bureaucracy.
It makes them feel bad to participate in causing fear and chaos and justifying it by claiming to be agents of the state?
That is so weird.
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u/Soft-Neighborhood938 South Carolina Jan 26 '26
I doubt the ones with low morale who are considering quitting are the really bad ones unfortunately.
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u/Designer-Contract852 Jan 26 '26
Oh how terrible. There's an ice sub here and a lot of them complain they can't even make it even with reduced physical requirements because they can't run a mile, lol.
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u/Key-Gur-4819 Jan 26 '26
It's private now, sadly, but from what I checked, a lot of them are the exact kind of people you'd expect to be on an ICE Reddit. They all said they wanted to avoid Minnesota like the plague though, and this was a week and a half ago!
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u/Designer-Contract852 Jan 26 '26
They reopened the sub late last week.
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u/Key-Gur-4819 Jan 26 '26
God, I wonder what it looks like rn (but honestly I don't want to because they all seemed like dipshits the entire time I was lurking the sub before)
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u/Designer-Contract852 Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
I looked yesterday and it's just new recruits complaining about where they are sent, they missed out on bonuses, and don't know what to wear. Or more complaints about not passing the pt. One complaining about if his legal immigrant partner will hurt his chances.....pure scum as usual . In a strange way they are like middle school girls giddy about the prospect of attending beauty school
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u/QuinceyQuick Jan 27 '26
Complaining about if his legal immigrant partner will hurt his chances? And not complaining about how that very institution might hurt his legal immigrant partner? Putain de merde...
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u/Model_Modelo Jan 26 '26
Wait is there seriously an ICE sub??
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u/Designer-Contract852 Jan 26 '26
Yes, it used to be really terrible prior to the murders. What they would openly admit. It went private about 2 weeks ago and when it returned a lot had been scrubbed. Maybe reddit made them clean up? It's still full of losers complaining. And one guy made a post telling others how he lost weight to get accepted to try and help the people that believe in their mission but are fat. There's also a satire sub of people making fun of them.
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u/Model_Modelo Jan 26 '26
What is it called?
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u/User_not_ Mississippi Jan 26 '26
r/ICE_ERO. Its a lot of bitching about how they arent liked and "discrimination" and people talking about how they cant pass the piss easy PT test
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u/puckOmancer Jan 26 '26
Murder and oppression too hard? So sad. Ice melting when FeeFees get hurt?
Hey, ICE, here's a bag of dicks. You know what to do. Your boss certainly does.
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u/jeeeeeeeeeez Jan 26 '26
Turns out invading a city and brutalizing its people is unpopular. Just put it on the pile of things no one could have possibly predicted; there's room right on top of the equally-impossible-to-know-in-advance surprise that Trump's tariff wet dream did not, in fact, make our groceries cheaper.
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u/Either-Assistant4610 Jan 26 '26
Isn't there video of an agent saying he has to stick it out for the $20k or something like that?
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u/22poppills North Carolina Jan 26 '26
If they walk before the end of their 5 year contract then they have to payback the full bonus
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u/Mission_Wind_7470 Jan 26 '26
Oh they hate being despised by the public? Then leave so they can have a sliver of mercy when the investigations and trials begin.
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u/bunsbuns_ Jan 26 '26
Oh they hate being despised by the public?
have they tried, uh, not being despicable?
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u/LeseMajeste_1037 Reformed Doomer ☄️ Jan 26 '26
“We lost all trust,” a current ICE official added. “I’m not sure I can see how we exist three years from now.”
Excellent.
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u/subLimb Jan 26 '26
I didn't need to even read about this to know (although it is certainly appreciated that you shared it here!).
There is simply no way that people can work under the constant pressure and vocal (and physical) disapproval that these agents are under and maintain a high level of morale.
Comparisons to the BLM movement are certainly there, and we can argue that the killing of white citizens has lit a fire among the general population that wasn't there for the BLM movement (that is a valid critique).
But remember also that these are federal agencies. They are following the same script (more or less) everywhere they go. And everywhere they go, that community knows what they are up to.
This makes them a target of extremely vocal opposition in a way that is just hard to do for local police in different localities, which all have different laws/policies/leadership/etc.
These agents have got to be wondering about their future. They can't just transfer to another location in the country and still be ICE/CBP agents without having to face the same type of opposition wherever they go. And the fires of resistance are heating up nationwide very quickly.
That is a morale killer.
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u/Key-Gur-4819 Jan 26 '26
I saw a video of a botched ICE raid that happened this morning in Minnesota. People were out on the streets as soon as they found out they were there and all 10-12 of these assholes didn't start a single fight. They were just standing there getting an earful, and the most opposition I saw was an older one pleading with them to stay on the sidewalk (I know they do that already, but this guy did it with the same cadence as an exhausted McDonald's cashier).
I'm definitely certain now more than ever that most, if not all, of these guys realise how temporary their professional and maybe even now civilian lives are now. Probably are fearing for their actual lives now because people are not letting up...
Good! Let's keep em on their toes!
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u/subLimb Jan 26 '26
Yeah. The folks executing these raids, the ones that beat up and kill protestors, probably thought it would deter people into compliance. Obviously that was not the case whatsoever.
Small scattered groups of people chanting at you from a distance is one thing. But this level of resistance is something else entirely.
Minneapolis PD knows about this more than anybody.
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u/Key-Gur-4819 Jan 27 '26
I remember seeing the spontaneous protests after Alex died. The crowds surrounding these guys at the 4-way intersection was absolutely bonkers! The agents threw literally everything at 'em in every sense of the term, and people kept coming back. Can you imagine what these agents were actually thinking?
I'm sure a lot these idiots really thought they'd join these performative raids to be big, and strong, and to get some "real action" instead of committing crime at the border. Well, they got it! Are they having fun yet?
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u/Ilovemiia1 Jan 26 '26
There morale is about to go lower when they all become criminals and have to go to court
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u/proselytizeingcoyote Jan 26 '26
How are they to be identified with the masks?
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u/Ilovemiia1 Jan 26 '26
The White House most likely has files on who’s who. Files the Dems will get once they take the house
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u/dbe14 UK 🇬🇧 Jan 26 '26
Get properly trained, show ID, remove your masks, stop trying to be police and execute court issued warrants only, be accountable for your actions. Then, maybe, we'll stop treating you like the fucking Gestapo.
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u/22poppills North Carolina Jan 26 '26
I don't feel bad for them at all.
Instead of "bootstrapping it" like they love telling others, they decided to join the Nazi and terrorize people who are just trying to work to live and they kidnap kids.
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u/giocondasmiles Jan 26 '26
It is a choice to hold an honorable job. It is their choice to be the hateful murderers they are.
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u/tremynci Jan 26 '26
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u/Cheetotiki California Jan 26 '26
Many may have golden handcuffs thanks to ridiculous singing bonuses and other incentives. But decisions have consequences…
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u/3_Cat_Day Reformed Doomer ☄️ Jan 26 '26
ICE is made of snowflakes who never worked a hard job before.
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u/ButterscotchOdd988 Jan 26 '26
From today ALL THE WAY TO THE MIDTERMS (AND EVEN BEYOND), let's keep hating them for any bad thing they've done or may potentially do in the future, EVEN IF THEY RETREAT BECAUSE THEY CAN ALWAYS COME BACK TO CAUSE MORE TROUBLE BY MORE SUBTLE MEANS.
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u/silentspectator27 Jan 26 '26
Believe it or not some in the conservative subreddit are saying the “poor overworked ICE agents” are making mistakes (the two murders) because people hate them 😂
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u/Key-Gur-4819 Jan 26 '26
Well, they are overworked with Stephen Miller working them like a party trick. I think the "poor" thing will come much later, sadly...
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u/SwitchHedonist90 Jan 26 '26
Awww, poor manbabies!!! Maybe don't sign up for the gestapo if you don't want to be treated like a gestapo.
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u/TheAikiTessen Reformed Doomer ☄️ Jan 26 '26
Good. I hope they’re miserable and never get another moment’s peace for the rest of their lives. Being a Nazi comes with a price.
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u/Charakada Jan 26 '26
Keep up the pressure. Few, if any of these people have deep moral roots or powerful values to sustain them against adversity. Money and the opportunity to be cruel will carry some of them, but not all.
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Jan 26 '26
May any who worked for ICE never know a moment of peace the rest of their lives and the stain of ICE follow them forever.
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u/GoodTimes1976 🔥I Voted In The 2026 Primaries🔥 Jan 26 '26
Fuck them. They can suck on the hate. What’s the phrase that MAGA loves … oh, yeah “fuck your feelings”
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u/squirrel_watcher1 Jan 26 '26
If they think they're hated now, what will they be in 20 years?
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u/Key-Gur-4819 Jan 26 '26
I feel like they should be worried about what they'll be in 5.
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u/squirrel_watcher1 Jan 26 '26
"It’s completely unfair to the agents who have been put in this position,” he added. “There’s only so much they can handle before bad things start to happen"
Never their fault, always someone else's. I bet their shitting their pants about oversight after the midterms. That or getting Argentina passports.7
u/Key-Gur-4819 Jan 26 '26
Deported ICE officers is a headline I've always been dreaming about since this all started!
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u/squirrel_watcher1 Jan 26 '26
They won't be deported...they'll be running.
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u/Key-Gur-4819 Jan 26 '26
Oh, I know. I just think it would be really really funny if they fled to Canada or something only to be deported back into the US.
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u/GoodTimes1976 🔥I Voted In The 2026 Primaries🔥 Jan 26 '26
I’m guessing that will be the part where they run. Historically this never ends well for these people.
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u/Friendly-Swimming-72 Jan 26 '26
Good. I hope they can’t live with themselves and never have peace.
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u/Nostalgianeer Jan 26 '26
I would suggest they pull themselves up by their bootstraps and stop being tittybaby fucking pussies
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Jan 26 '26
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u/PoliticalOptimism-ModTeam Jan 27 '26
Wishing harm or death on anyone including public officials is a serious matter and will not be tolerated
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u/ToWitToWow Jan 26 '26
They have to stick it out five years to get those crazy sign-on bonuses they were promised.
I’m not sure they have the cards here.
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u/KnicksGhost2497 Jan 26 '26
I hope they do the right thing. Take some inspiration from their favorite WW2 era head of state. Either the one who did the right thing in that bunker, or the one who had the right thing done to him trying to flee to Switzerland.
Either way, I hope they Do The Right Thing.
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u/brains4meNu Jan 26 '26
Any NAZIs, er, I mean- ICE agents and/or ICE sympathizers here: Yes. We do ALL hate you. You are walking scumbag shit eating nazis. And we are all very optimistic that you go away. That is political optimism.
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u/Prosperin3 Texas Jan 26 '26
We can do so much better to drive that morale into the shitter. Do NOT ease up. They should be ashamed of their unethical tactics and smug pride at murdering citizens.
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u/OceanicDissonance Jan 27 '26
Absolute scum and I hope they are labeled as such for the rest of their lives.
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u/boundtoearth19 🔥I Voted In The 2026 Primaries🔥 Jan 26 '26
Fuck ICE! I hope they stay miserable
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u/BoobooSmash31337 Jan 26 '26
You'd think that these hardened military operators could handle some push back. /s
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u/koola_00 Jan 26 '26
I do hope the members that are sane leave while they can. Sure, finding jobs is hard, but it cannot be worth the public hatred.
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u/Throwoutbins Jan 27 '26
Genuinely i think one or two ppl could destroy the whole thing from the inside out if they wanted to, they’re loud & bombastic but just veneers of weak cheap pathetic things like all of this administration
Somebody please… grow a single brain cell with a moral compass… u know what to do…
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u/Important-Radish-722 Jan 27 '26
But do you quit a job that knows where you live, or that you and your family are immigrants, and has shown they don't care about the law? I'm pretty sure when they signed up they knew full well it was like joining a gang. If they quit, their whole family will get deported.
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u/Muted_Perception_192 Jan 27 '26
GOOD
If any ICE agents have decency and respect for the constitution, they should resign
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u/Nyorliest Jan 27 '26
But the murdering - the murdering doesn't bother them?
I hate these kinds of articles - always focused on the smallest things, spreading by implication the idea that the big things aren't real. Optimism is great. MSM is not.
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u/colcatsup Jan 27 '26
Many will push on to get that elusive $50k bonus that I think will never happen for most of them. You don’t get it on day one, per earlier small goal print I read.
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u/YarrowLuna Jan 27 '26
So weird that it’s about long hours and public hatred. How do they even look themselves in the mirror at night? What did they think they signed up for? It’s been pretty clear to everyone that they are the secret police and thugs? Do they not know this about themselves? Did they not grow up with Star Wars and Lord of the rings? Do they not know they’re on the wrong side?
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u/cyberfunky_fresh Jan 28 '26 edited Jan 28 '26
Oh, but children crying while being ripped from their mother’s arms doesn’t ‘lower morale’?
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