ICE, also known as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has been the topic of much controversy as of late. Over the past few months, President Trump and United States Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem have increasingly cracked down on immigration policy and carrying out mass deportations. One of Trump’s main issues that he focused upon during his 2024 campaign was the topic of immigration and deportations, pledging to detain and deport millions upon his election. Since his entry into the White House, Trump has upheld his promise, but at what cost?
However, the organization has recently been the center of a much heated controversy throughout the nation. ICE’s strict – and sometimes violent – methods of detaining and holding people in facilities have been questioned by countless citizens, media outlets, and family members of detainees. ICE’s detention centers are known for being highly secure, but often dirty and overcrowded (ACLU). Family members of detainees are often unable to reach them – and that’s if they even know where they’re being held. Fernando Viera Reyes, an immigrant from California diagnosed with prostate cancer, recalled repeatedly being denied medical care while being held in a detention facility in California. Viera Reyes was actually one of seven people detained by ICE who sued the Trump administration in early November due to inhumane conditions at the California City detention facility.
A five-year old boy from Minnesota, Liam Conejo Ramos, was also recently detained along with his father, Adrian Alexander Conejo Arias. Neither of the Ramos’s were made aware of why they were being detained – and Liam has now fallen sick at an ICE detention facility. Liam’s mother, Erika Ramos, described the inhumane conditions and the effects they’re having on her son: “Liam is getting sick because the food they receive is not of good quality. He has stomach pain, he’s vomiting, he has a fever and he no longer wants to eat,” as reported by The Independent. Two Democratic Representatives from Texas also came to visit Liam and his father at the detention facility, and recall being highly alarmed by Liam’s condition. The representatives noted that Liam also only had one set of clothes while being held in the facility, which his father washed every night after he went to sleep” (The Independent). Liam was released on February 1, 2026, along with his father, but the two still spent 12 days in an I.C.E. facility with minimal care or knowledge as to why they were there.
Now, with the death of Renee Nicole Good, ICE’s authority is being challenged even more. Good was a 37-year-old U.S. citizen from Minneapolis. On January 7, she was shot three times in both the face and neck by an ICE agent while driving away from a protest against ICE in her neighborhood. The ICE agent who shot her, Jonathan Ross, had previously been injured while trying to arrest an immigrant who refused to leave their car in June 2025. The Trump administration claims the agent fired in self-defense, and described both Renee and her wife as “professional agitators.”
However, an instance like this is where effective media literacy civic education comes into play. Media and news outlets tend to be either very far left or far right these days. It’s important to consider all sides, factors, and evidence of the incident before forming opinions. Trump claims that Good “viciously ran over” Ross, but videos and eyewitnesses contradict otherwise. Reading articles, watching videos, and engaging in news from multiple different outlets ensures the clearest, most accurate account of an incident.
Some claim that these measures are necessary to rid our country of the “worst of the worst”, while others call it inhumane and cruel. While ICE provides vital protection for our country, there’s no reason for cruelty or inhumanity in their methods. Constituents across the nation are currently taking action by calling their respective senators to try and block future bills expanding funding of I.C.E. The agency’s future from here still remains unknown, but heavily dependent on the people of America.
Sources:
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ice-officer-jonathan-ross-veteran-spent-decade-dhs-rcna253254
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz7yv4524gqo
