Original article: ”La Gestapo de Trump”: Amplio repudio internacional al paramilitarismo de ICE
Trump’s «Gestapo»: ICE, Funded with Billions, Instills Paramilitary Terror on US Streets
The rising perception of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as an out-of-control, violent paramilitary force has transcended borders, sparking unprecedented international condemnation.
This sentiment was starkly showcased in a video circulated by Público.es, where Italian politicians chanted slogans like “Get Out ICE! Trump’s Gestapo” during the Winter Olympics, highlighting the alarming global image projected by the agency under the current U.S. administration.
Watch video (Broadcast: Diario Público.es)
The epicenter of this transformation is found in the Minneapolis metropolitan area, described by ElPeriódico.com as the «ground zero» for a brutal force experiment. Here, the «Metropolitan Reinforcement Operation» has deployed nearly 3,000 ICE agents and Border Patrol (CBP) officers, representing a ratio of five agents to every local police officer.
This massive deployment, led by figures like Gregory Bovino from the CBP, has turned the region into a testing ground for increasingly aggressive tactics that deviate from the rule of law.
Reports by ElPeriódico.com document a systematic pattern of atrocities. The most emblematic case is the shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good by ICE agent Jonathan Ross. This murder is not an isolated incident; it joins a list of violent detentions, the use of a five-year-old as bait, warrantless raids, and widespread deployment of tear gas and projectiles that have caused severe injuries, including the blinding of a young man. Amnesty International classifies these actions as part of a «broader pattern» of deadly abuses.
ElPeriódico.com outlines ICE’s metamorphosis from an immigration enforcement agency to a “virtually paramilitary force” and a “private and secret police.» This transformation, orchestrated from the White House by advisor Stephen Miller and backed by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, has a clear political objective: to stifle dissent, intimidate communities, and serve as a propaganda tool. The agency, now the most well-funded police force in the U.S., operates with an “absolute immunity” proclaimed by the government, which has even investigated Renee Good’s widow.
In response to official rhetoric, affected communities denounce “tyranny,” “invasion,” and “siege.” Columnists like Lydia Polgreen from The New York Times warn that what is occurring in Minneapolis is “an occupation designed to terrorize.”
This sentiment is widespread: surveys cited by ElPeriódico.com show that between 50% and 61% of Americans disapprove of ICE’s actions. Even conservative figures like podcaster Joe Rogan have compared its tactics to those of the Gestapo, echoing the slogans seen in the Público.es video.
THE INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR ACCOUNTABILITY
Amnesty International USA has raised a powerful global demand. Amy Fischer, its Director of Refugee and Migrant Rights, asserts that ICE and CBP “are acting with impunity” and “are not making our communities safer.”
The organization is urging Congress to “reject any additional funding” and take “immediate action to hold this agency accountable,” emphasizing that abuses, including torture and deaths in detention centers, occur “with virtually no consequences.”
What began as a deployment in Minneapolis is symptomatic of a national authoritarian drift. ElPeriódico.com reports that federal agents have fired upon at least 10 vehicles since September and employed prohibited choke tactics.
