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US immigration budget now bigger than most of the world's militaries (www.newsweek.com)

submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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The Senate has passed a bill making Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the U.S.'s largest interior law enforcement agency with funding for Donald Trump's immigration enforcement agenda higher than most of the world's militaries, including Israel's.

Pending its passage in the House of Representatives, Trump's bill could mean a massive increase in ICE funding as part of an immigration enforcement agenda worth $150 billion over four years.

This figure is more than the annual military budget of Italy, which at $30.8 billion, is the world's 16th highest defense spender for this year according to tracker Global Fire Power.

It is also higher than military spending for Israel, ($30 billion), the Netherlands ($27 billion) and Brazil ($26.1 billion).

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[-] [email protected] 2 points 22 minutes ago

But we can't afford to feed kids or have medical care or research for cancers and diseases or build housing for everyone.

But we can buy expensive bombs galore to drop on families and build concentration camps.

Neat.

So, when do we all stop paying taxes and stop going to work and bring the whole system crashing down to stop this madness?

[-] [email protected] 10 points 4 hours ago

If you want to put 250m subjects under the boot, you simply need a well-funded American GeStaPo.

[-] [email protected] 53 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 3 hours ago)

Is anyone still pretending ICE is about immigration? ICE is Trump's SS, and they just got funding beyond any dictator's wildest dreams. Good luck with your totalitarian police state.

Edit: I want to retract my last sentence. It was callous and stupid. My heart aches for the people who fought against this.

[-] [email protected] 4 points 4 hours ago

Don't worry, the gun nuts will stand up against the totalitarian regime.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 48 minutes ago* (last edited 47 minutes ago)

That's how it was supposed to be, until the Right co-opted firearms as an entire personality, and the liberal response was to spread ignorance, miseducation, and fear about them so that their party branding looked different enough.

So now all the insecure, hateful, scared-of-everybody violence-fantasists are armed, knowledgeable, and stocked.

And those that would oppose authoritarianism en masse were force-fed "Only cops and the military should be armed and the rest of us should just wish they didn't exist".

So they're now largely rendered toothless and clawless normies who think flash hiders, rail grips, and black paint make a weapon "more lethal." And don't know what to do with themselves if pickets and law systems don't have an effect.

Meanwhile the "patriotic" bullies ramble about "freedom" and "small government" whilst simping for their fascist overlords unopposed by any actual threat.

Like most loud bullies, most are the types that would likely break if met with any actual opposition that could do them harm.

I don't want to see it come to this, but we need to educate and train ourselves before it's too late. The threat alone might be enough to put them in their place.

It's very clear nobody is coming to save us from this worsening state of affairs.

[-] [email protected] 5 points 2 hours ago

Its probably time we all become the gun nuts at least while they still let us

[-] [email protected] 41 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 14 hours ago)

Seems like it’s time to for people to learn about sustained direct action campaigns.

Rev Left Radio had a great interview earlier this year with a member of Palestine Action about their extremely successful direct action campaign against Israeli weapons manufacturer Elbit. While the media would have you believe that Palestine Action is an ineffective bunch of clowns, they have already forced the closure of two weapons factories in England and forced Barclays Bank to divest from Elbit through sustained sabotage campaigns. Their incredible success is the actual reason the UK government has named them a terrorist organization, not just for spray painting some planes.

https://revolutionaryleftradio.libsyn.com/size/5/?search=Palestine+action

For legal reasons, I am not encouraging anyone to break any laws.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 13 hours ago

Love Rev Left, recommended listening for everyone

[-] [email protected] 18 points 13 hours ago

So now they are the biggest millitary and paramilitary spender. Cool.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 14 hours ago

Good, service guarantees citizenship and the way things are going, the Greatestest and Bestest Democraciest Peaciest and Freedomest Country in the Whole Wide Universe will need some ~~cannon fodder~~ highly qualified personnel.

[-] [email protected] 11 points 15 hours ago

This is perverse

[-] [email protected] 16 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Even more so when you remember that the original "we need to get rid of all those immigrants" argument stemmed from migrants costing the country too much money.

Trillions for deportation. Not one penny for infrastructure or social services.

[-] [email protected] 10 points 5 hours ago

The ICE budget is free college for everyone like 3 times over.

[-] [email protected] 33 points 19 hours ago

Remember when republican bitches about how much we spent on immigration?

[-] [email protected] 46 points 21 hours ago

We’re probably nearing the point where Americans will start trying to get over the border wall and into Mexico.

[-] [email protected] 9 points 7 hours ago

Honestly been looking into it. If things go south enough, I’ve thought about driving down that way. Closer than Canada. I’d have to get through Texas, but teaching math in Mexico City sounds nice.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 6 hours ago

My brother lived in Mexico City about a decade ago. We're from the US. MC always had a bad rep, but like many things, it was overblown. Worst part of the city is the traffic. Public transport can be a little tight. Gotta get used to whatever lives in the water. Otherwise, I always enjoyed visiting. There was the one time there was an earthquake while I was on the roof of a high-rise, we don't get those in Jersey, but that's a fluke.

[-] [email protected] 6 points 7 hours ago

In Mexico right now. It's beautiful, the people are friendly, cost of living is easily half that of the States, and the food is spectacular.

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[-] [email protected] 1 points 7 hours ago

I'd rather live around active cartels at this point.

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[-] [email protected] 50 points 21 hours ago

Gestapo. They're Nazi Gestapo. Treat them as they deserve.

[-] [email protected] 7 points 6 hours ago

I'd argue they are more like the SS at this point. Consider: the point of the Gestapo was to police the German population and root out internal threats to the Nazis. The SS, on the other hand, were a military branch that were responsible for eradication of the "undesirable elements". I feel like the latter is a more fitting mold for ICE.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago* (last edited 5 hours ago)

The SS had many tasks. One of them was to protect the regime against coups from the army or SA.

At the beginning the SA also ran concentration camps, the SS took them over soon.

SS, Gestapo, and regular police were all under Himmler’s command via the Reichssicherheitshauptamt.

Gestapo was formed from preexisting secret political police forces.

Trumpism operates differently than Nazism. However Trump needs a loyal oppression infrastructure to build a more authoritarian system. ICE is on its way to enable that.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 hour ago

Thanks for the clarification!

[-] [email protected] 61 points 23 hours ago

Daily reminder to all ICE agents. By signing up for ICE, you have signed yourself up for a lifetime of fear and criminal liability. There are Nazi concentration camp guards that were tried for their crimes in their 90s. There is no statute of limitations on crimes against humanity. Your names are recorded; your deeds are known. And you will face justice for your crimes. And do not count on a blanket pardon saving you. Crimes against humanity are violations of international law that cannot be pardoned.

[-] [email protected] 1 points 2 hours ago

That’s something I’ve thought about a lot; these people are going to war with their society, and their and their family’s names and addresses are one data breech away from public knowledge.

Fortunately the government is protecting them by mass layoffs and encouraging mass retirements from anyone involved in data security.

My personal bingo card has the families of some these people dropped off in the chihuahaun desert if they piss off the cartels.

[-] [email protected] 3 points 5 hours ago

Not all guards of concentration camps or SS members were prosecuted. That was also an unusual situation as the Nazi state and the SS ceased to exist and was occupied for decades.

No ICE agent will be prosecuted for conducting arrests or executing warrants against illegal immigrants. Once mass torture, inhumane treatment, extralegal executions and such start, it becomes more risky for them.

We don’t know how bad it will get yet or what comes after. In the best case Trump and republicans lose the next elections. A New Democrat government could simply downsize ICE and only prosecute a handful of bad apples. Remember what happened after Abu Ghraib.

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this post was submitted on 03 Jul 2025

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