13 hours ago, bannork said:

The Trump Administration has pumped millions into advertisements for ICE jobs – offering recruitment bonuses of up to $50,000 and student loan assistance to entice Americans. And it’s working. The hiring spree has added some 10,000 new employees,

One reporter, Laura Jedeed, from Slate, applied on a whim at a career expo in Texas to see what happened. She was offered a position within days, and despite not accepting, they emailed her again with a message reading: ‘Thank you for confirming that you wish to continue with the hiring process.’

She was then asked to complete a drug test, which she did, despite having consuming cannabis days before (it’s legal where she lives). After sending off her urine for the job’s drug test, days later, she was still cleared to work – and she didn’t submit a background check, domestic violence affidavit, or identification information.

Within days, Laura had been given the job of a deportation officer.

ICE adds 10,000 more people to its ranks – so how easy exactly is it to join?

And exactly what effect do you think traces of cannabis metabolites in her urine would have on her ability to do the job? Why do they even test for it ?

ICE

ISIS (ICE is)

PolICE

Just ICE for Renee Nicole Good (indeed?)

🤣

16 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

The difference today is they're only targeting people of colour. That cancelling of diversity programmes is nothing but racism.

Your obsession with "people of colour" is not the subject of this thread

4 minutes ago, Woke to Sounds said:

ICE

ISIS (ICE is)

PolICE

Just ICE for Renee Nicole Good (indeed?)

🤣

Are you feeling ok , perhaps you should return to the day room for a cup of milky tea followed by a little nap,

2 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Are you feeling ok , perhaps you should return to the day room for a cup of milky tea followed by a little nap,

The Communist/Socialist/Marxist/Anarchist in the USA/ in my country have been demonizing Immigration & Customs Enforcement forever ,because nothing scares them more than an agency that actually enforces borders, removes criminal aliens, and puts American citizens first. Keep doing your job, ICE.

3 minutes ago, riclag said:

The Communist/Socialist/Marxist/Anarchist in the USA/ in my country have been demonizing Immigration & Customs Enforcement forever ,because nothing scares them more than an agency that actually enforces borders, removes criminal aliens, and puts American citizens first. Keep doing your job, ICE.

Yeeeeehhh, you can murder and get away with it, cowboys.............

On 1/16/2026 at 11:47 AM, Patong2021 said:

I am not part of MAGA. I did not agree with the Jan. 6 pardons and opposed them. However, I do understand why they were given, and it was consistent with the pattern of previous US pardons. (Read up on the number and type of clemency, commutations and pardons extended historically. Previous administrations gave blanket pardons of Vietnam War draft evaders and drug offences, which were more unpopular with some at the time.)

I do care about a consistent enforcement of US immigration law. The situation of tens of thousands of people surging across the border in uncontrolled waves was a threat to national security. The presence of hundreds of thousands of criminals, many of whom violent and mentally ill, was a threat to the public and the migrant community too. The presence of millions of people who are working in an underground economy and sending millions of $$ out of the country is a serious destabilizing characteristic of the US economy. The exploitation of millions of people is a threat to the social fabric. The presence of hundreds of thousands of migrant children in the US school system and using the healthcare network is unsustainable. The impact that millions of people not fully contributing to the upkeep of social care services and infrastructure of the country is a financial burden and drain on the limited resources. The demands of millions of people for housing negatively impacts the housing stock inventory, particularly low cost housing.

The reality of the unauthorized migrant community is that while they provided cheap labor to the USA, their contribution in taxes and domestic spend is far less than what they take. This is an inconvenient truth that the proponents of doing nothing have failed to address. The migrants are not the enemy. Rather, the people who have made a very profitable living off of their exploitation are the culprits. The US construction trade refused to establish and support quality training and apprenticeship programs and to pay proper wages, and instead chose to whinge about labor shortages. The hospitality sector refused to treat its workers properly with decent wages and working conditions and then complained that people didn't want to work in the sector. The social advocates who make a living off the misery of others were quick to justify social assistance programs that focused on creating long term social assistance recipients rather than an environment that put these people to work and so on.

Migrants can come into the USA legally. We see that with the farm workers. A majority of US farms rely on legal migrant farm workers. They are paid a reasonable wage and have legal rights. It isn't always perfect, but a far better situation than that of the migrants who work illegally on US farms. It is unfair to the US farmers who are labor law compliant and who have reduced profit margins to allow the non compliant farms to keep exploiting migrants and pocketing the profits. Your position is to allow a free for all, and an open border with the free flow of contraband and violent criminals. No thank you.

maybe a refreshing update of the criminal acts committed by some of the ones being pardoned, many of them repeated their criminal activities and your guy still pardoned them and let them go free so they can start all over again, only a convicted felon pardons another convicted felon, birds of the feather flock together

In all, Trump granted clemency on Thursday to 21 people,

A San Diego businesswoman who was granted clemency by Donald Trump in 2021 and later convicted on new fraud charges received a pardon from the president on Thursday,

Her brother, Andres, who was convicted with her at trial in 2024, also received a Trump pardon, the White House official said.

Separately, Terren Peizer, who was convicted in 2024 of insider trading and sentenced last year to 42 months in prison, also received a pardon, according to the White House official.

Trump Pardons Convicted Fraudster After Earlier Clemency Grant

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-pardons-convicted-fraudster-earlier-180043610.html

2 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Your obsession with "people of colour" is not the subject of this thread

Its unavoidable and plays right into the Cultural Marxist book of protecting & supporting the oppressed peoples of the world. ICE Enforcement in reality are going after the unlawful .

Google ai overview:

"Most unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. still come from Mexico, though its share is declining as populations from countries like Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, India, and Venezuela grow significantly, especially in recent years, with Central American nations and South American countries like Venezuela seeing rapid increases, alongside notable numbers from Asia (India, China)".

10 minutes ago, Mavideol said:

maybe a refreshing update of the criminal acts committed by some of the ones being pardoned, many of them repeated their criminal activities and your guy still pardoned them and let them go free so they can start all over again, only a convicted felon pardons another convicted felon, birds of the feather flock together

In all, Trump granted clemency on Thursday to 21 people,

A San Diego businesswoman who was granted clemency by Donald Trump in 2021 and later convicted on new fraud charges received a pardon from the president on Thursday,

Her brother, Andres, who was convicted with her at trial in 2024, also received a Trump pardon, the White House official said.

Separately, Terren Peizer, who was convicted in 2024 of insider trading and sentenced last year to 42 months in prison, also received a pardon, according to the White House official.

Trump Pardons Convicted Fraudster After Earlier Clemency Grant

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-pardons-convicted-fraudster-earlier-180043610.html

Another attack on ICE,News,is the topic

14 hours ago, Patong2021 said:

For a Quaker pacifist, you sure do have some very strident overbearing aggressive positions that are not particularly invoking of a person who believes in peace and non conflict. I am not excusing or justifying the pardons/commutations, but I can see that they were not unusual from past actions.

There were most certainly violent campus demonstrations and public violence in the 1960's that resulted in physical injuries and property damage. Some were the;

-1967 Pentagon riots

-1970 national student strike

-1971 MayDay riots that lasted 3 days

More specifically, Throughout September and October 1968, activists bombed war-related spaces at or near universities on a nearly daily basis. Over 4,000 bombs exploded on college campuses between January 1st, 1969 and April 15th, 1970. And in the one week following the Kent State shooting on May 4th, 1970, over a million students protested at over a thousand colleges, and 169 bombs exploded on university grounds.

Source: Resistance from the Right: Conservatives and the Campus Wars in Modern America, Dr. Lauren Lassabe Shepherd . And before you dismiss this historian as MAGA, she believes that neither Trump nor the conservative agenda is actually very popular.

President Andrew Johnson pardoned thousands of people, a large number of whom had been confederates opposed to the union including Congress members, government officials and ranking military officers. And then in a final proclamation on December 25, 1868, Johnson declared "unconditionally, and without reservation, ... a full pardon and amnesty for the offence of treason against the United States, or of adhering to their enemies during the late civil war, with restoration of all rights, privileges, and immunities under the Constitution and the laws". I believe a precedent was set by President Johnson.

Thanks, Patong, for looking into this. And allowing me to reminisce about my good old days. I can really only speak from my own six years organising in the pacifist movement in New York City, the actions I myself helped coordinate and in which I myself participated.

I knew, of course, about the campus demonstrations which got way more angry after the Ohio National Guard  shot four unarmed students at Kent State in 1970. I think anyone with any sense would be opposed to the armed US military on the streets of America. Of course, these times just don’t make any sense! There may be intentional or accidental killings and injuries. That’s what happens when you play with guns.

I can tell you with complete honesty, I never heard about all those bombings but perhaps I have an explanation below. This was certainly not going on in my scene in New York!

Yep, I have a particularly fine-tuned conscience. Whether others agree with it or not, I am quick to act and quick to speak out. Although I pick the issues I think I can win, I can’t really ignore injustice, in all its forms. Quakers have always known the difference between right and wrong, good and bad, and acted on it, as civil disobedience, direct action aso.

Thank you for the reference. I have just downloaded the book and will try to give it my careful consideration as I have time. I may get back to you to debate or refute some assertions. You may also be interested in “Ideological Motivations of Terrorism in the United States, 1970--2016”.

Here’s a bit of the background I know about which may bear relevance to your author’s quotes. I’m hoping the book itself is more specific in detail as I’d like to find out more about all those bombs I never heard about. Such as, were they cherry bombs? Molotov cocktails? Incendiary devices? Bombs with detonators? Does the author believe the intent was to kill or injure or merely to damage or disable property? The latter gets a meh from me. I think sabotage can be effective as long as no one gets hurt.

Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was an antiwar/antidraft organisation begun in 1962 which had chapters on almost ~400 college campuses and many high schools in America at their peak in 1968-69. They called themselves the New Left in contrast to the old, entrenched political Commies. I would characterise them as liberals in this period, guided by intellectualism, and youth’s belief it is they who will change the world..

When it became apparent the govt wasn’t paying attention, SDS grew more radical. By that I mean they adopted more aggressive tactics, occupations, vandalism, break-ins aso. Although there were often counterdemonstrators and police, I am entirely unaware of any personal violence. More follows…

If you want the full impact of my story, you’ll have to read my book, Free Radicals: War Resisters in Prison (2017)! (If you really do want to read this, send me a PM and I’ll provide you a link.)

I only participated in one of the three actions you cite but I’ll mention a third. The student strike against ‘defence’ research at Columbia University was organised by SDS, and entirely nonviolent. The head of campus SDS broke into the President’s office, put his feet up on the desk and smoked Clark Kerr’s cigars. Martin Luther King was assassinated 10 days into our occupation which inflamed the campus even more.

After the strike had been going on for a bit over a month, the University called in the police to clear the campus. This became what can only be described as a police riot. Lots of students bloodied. I myself was arrested for my only felony—conspiracy to disrupt the economy of New York State—and had the privilege of being prosecuted by…Rudy Giuliani! The case was dismissed, of course, when judges were still relatively honest.

I’m sure if it’s mentioned, your author describes it as a “riot”. For those who were not there, it becomes a matter of perspective and conjecture. It was, indeed, a riot but not by the students, by the police. This was the most violent arrest I’ve ever experienced. I was manhandled and thrown bodily into a Black Maria. Three nights in The Tombs.

In 1963, Martin Luther King gathered 300,000 people to March on Washington for civil rights; I was there. Our March of on the Pentagon, for which I was an organiser, brought 100,000 to Washington to march just over three miles from the Lincoln Memorial to the Pentagon against America’s war on Vietnam.

Of the three you cite, we did levitate the Pentagon in 1967! There was no riot and absolutely no violence. The Yippies (Youth International Party) circled the Pentagon and levitated it. I was there and, well, maybe, it shook just a little bit!

I was also there when people put flowers into the gun barrels of the National Guard. At least two that I witnessed personally dropped their guns, took off their uniforms and joined us. One Guard burned his draft card. Nearly 700 were arrested, including yours truly and Joan Baez.

I should point out that I find today’s opinions about left and right are laughable! In 1968, the Communist Party USA, Socialist Workers Party, Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist), Communist Party-Maoist and many more were hard left, obviously, and completely ineffectual; nobody paid much attention to fringies. On the right, we had the KKK, John Birch Society, Minutemen and so on. Those lines are so blurred today as to be imperceptible. Whatever people are saying about “right and left” is hogwash! To call Bernie Sanders or Ocasio-Cortez or Mamdani radical left is completely delusional.

There has never been true democracy or true socialism, which, incidentally, are both compatible mechanisms for governance. Dictatorship, fascism, authoritarianism are not. Those systems benefit only a few and oppress everyone else. If anarchy is chaos, hell, man, we’re already there! Perhaps we’re already trying that on.

Back to SDS. By 1970 or so, there were so many demonstrations and a groundswell of ordinary people against the war, many of whose sons had been killed in Vietnam. That’ s when SDS—by now, no longer students—knew that the US had reached a tipping point and it would only take a little violence to start a revolution. SDS became a small, hardcore group calling themselves Weatherman from the Bob Dylan song. (Poor Dylan. He’s quoted more than the Bible!)

Their first action was called Days of Rage at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in 1968. The Yippies ran a pig for president (he wasn’t old enough but Pigasus was certainly the best-looking candidate). The protests generated the term police riot. These white privileged elites considered themselves, militants, guerrillas, revolutionaries. Ha! There’s a lot of delusion on both sides of the fence, Grasshopper. The Weatherman slogan, “Bring the War Home!”—why would anybody want that?!?

Five Weathermen, two men and three women, blew up a townhouse bomb factory in Greenwich Village in 1970. Two were killed and three lived underground for over a decade. My favourite Weather Underground action was helping Timothy Leary escape from prison! That was badass on so many levels! But the Weather Underground were indeed domestic terrorists before that term became so diluted as to be meaningless.

Bombs were dropping on Vietnamese. For me, if we could get so far away from truth and goodness as to use weapons, there was no movement. Many of my friends were in prison for the draft for as long as five years; that’s what I planned for. But I went to an SDS (!) seminar at a Quaker Peace Centre in Canada. I met a hot Canadian girl and, suddenly, nookie in Canada was looking a lot better than prison!

The rest is history. I became an ex-American and now I can’t really imagine myself being more than a tourist in Canada, either. Nor, of course, will I ever be Thai!

Patong, I was against war, all wars, as immoral then and I never changed.  Celebrate life, no death. All wars are immoral.

3 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Your obsession with "people of colour" is not the subject of this thread

It certainly is! ICE only targets people of colour! Though some of the ICE protestors are white.

.

18 minutes ago, riclag said:

Its unavoidable and plays right into the Cultural Marxist book of protecting & supporting the oppressed peoples of the world. ICE Enforcement in reality are going after the unlawful .

Google ai overview:

"Most unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. still come from Mexico, though its share is declining as populations from countries like Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, India, and Venezuela grow significantly, especially in recent years, with Central American nations and South American countries like Venezuela seeing rapid increases, alongside notable numbers from Asia (India, China)".

If "protecting & supporting the oppressed peoples of the world", I'm in! And a Groucho Marxist...

3 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Are you feeling ok , perhaps you should return to the day room for a cup of milky tea followed by a little nap,

Its called slam poetry 😆

Ain't nothin gonna stop Federal LE from determing reasonable suspecion especially after telling activist agitators to move their car from obstructing ICE.

"In an order Friday, U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez ruled that federal agents deployed to the state under the operation are prohibited from arresting or detaining peaceful protesters "in retaliation for their protected conduct and absent a showing of probable cause or reasonable suspicion that the person has committed a crime or is obstructing or interfering with the activities."

The order also bars Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents from stopping drivers and passengers unless there's reasonable suspicion that they're obstructing federal enforcement activities".

https://abc7.com/live-updates/minneapolis-ice-shooting-live-updates/18410867/

19 hours ago, novacova said:

That’s a flat out lie.

Not. You’re using race as a tool to further your racist ideologue.

Please be so Good as to cite the instances of ICE arrests and deportations which were not people of color.

I would prefer not to be your racist ideologue.

10 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

It certainly is! ICE only targets people of colour! Though some of the ICE protestors are white.

You of course have proof of this bs claim ya ?

14 hours ago, riclag said:

"There goes the neighborhood" , in the video its shows one of the accused attackers, laughing. Minnesota dem says Stand up for your neighbors, as they downplay assaulting Fed agents with rocks,hitting cars, obstructing & interfering with fed LE.

Rocks?!? Did these guys train in the West Bank?

11 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

.

Ok so your invoking a unattributed source ,Hitler & the SS into the thread, and you're claiming they had immunity .

You show a quote without a source who is trying to conflate a comparison to the current administration . When actually the administration is following laws passed by previous administrations Congressional legislations.

Google ai overview:

• Congressional Action (FELRTCA 1988):

  • Gave federal employees absolute immunity from common law torts (like negligence) committed within the scope of their jobs, replacing common law rules.

  • In Summary
    No single person "gave" all immunity; it's a complex legal framework built by the Supreme Court and Congress, balancing accountability with the need for federal agents to perform their jobs effectively. 

3 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

And exactly what effect do you think traces of cannabis metabolites in her urine would have on her ability to do the job? Why do they even test for it ?

So you don't understand the gist of the post.

18 minutes ago, HappyExpat57 said:

.

No they weren't. Many went on to poison the societies of Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Spain, overseas Portuguese colonies of Mozambique and Angola,and Paraguay. Some of the more evil and violent found a welcoming home in Egypt and Syria advising the Arab militaries. And then there were the" I was only following orders" SS who found homes in Australia and Canada where they were welcomed by communities so blinded by "anti communism" that they did not look too hard at these peoples' backgrounds and realize that some had murdered and tortured POWS etc. Canada's successive governments worked hard to cover up its wrongdoings too, despite the serious war crimes perpetrated against Canadian personnel. It wouldn't even deport war criminals. So please keep the faerie tail of justice being served in the land of make believe.

This is what ICE Enforcement & Customs border patrol is up against.

Latin Kings gang member accused of vandalizing FBI vehicle, stealing government property in Minneapolis

https://www.foxnews.com/us/latin-kings-gang-member-accused-vandalizing-fbi-vehicle-stealing-government-property-minneapolis

Google ai overview:

Yes, based on federal allegations from October 2025, an individual identified as a member of the Latin Kings street gang in Chicago was accused of placing a bounty on the life of a U.S. Border Patrol official, though the name is Bovino, not a "bovine" (cow)

40 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Patong, I was against war, all wars, as immoral then and I never changed.  Celebrate life, no death. All wars are immoral.

I didn't mention elections. As long as the system is broken, nobody we elect can fix it. What we need to think about is, how do we fix it and where do we go from here. The people fretting over who's right and who's left (hehe, in so many ways!) should worry about what direction we need to go to get out of this morass. It sure ain't deportations and drug boats. That's just political theatre for the unwashed masses.

14 minutes ago, unblocktheplanet said:

I didn't mention elections. As long as the system is broken, nobody we elect can fix it. What we need to think about is, how do we fix it and where do we go from here. The people fretting over who's right and who's left (hehe, in so many ways!) should worry about what direction we need to go to get out of this morass. It sure ain't deportations and drug boats. That's just political theatre for the unwashed masses.

And yet here you are in Thailand benefiting from the tens of thousands of dead Australian and US military personnel who died in Vietnam. Their presence kept Thailand from falling to the communist tide. No doubt you will have a self serving political slogan to explain your benefit, but they reality is that they died so that you can now live in comfort in Thailand and lecture us all about freedoms.

1 hour ago, Patong2021 said:

No they weren't. Many went on to poison the societies of Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Spain, overseas Portuguese colonies of Mozambique and Angola,and Paraguay. Some of the more evil and violent found a welcoming home in Egypt and Syria advising the Arab militaries. And then there were the" I was only following orders" SS who found homes in Australia and Canada where they were welcomed by communities so blinded by "anti communism" that they did not look too hard at these peoples' backgrounds and realize that some had murdered and tortured POWS etc. Canada's successive governments worked hard to cover up its wrongdoings too, despite the serious war crimes perpetrated against Canadian personnel. It wouldn't even deport war criminals. So please keep the faerie tail of justice being served in the land of make believe.

Google it. Or, here, I'll save you the trouble:

"Many members of Hitler's SS were punished for war crimes, especially after World War II through the Nuremberg Trials and subsequent military tribunals, with individuals convicted and sentenced to prison or death."

Its sad that the leftist news networks are so bias in their reporting!

"We had another ICE-involved incident of mayhem: a Venezuelan tried to ambush federal officers with a shovel. It was an ambush, but you’d never guess that by reading The New York Times headline"

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2026/01/15/so-thats-how-the-new-york-times-framed-the-ice-ambush-in-minneapolis-last-night-n2669506

3 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

It certainly is! ICE only targets people of colour! Though some of the ICE protestors are white.

i'm not a racist so I can't say I noticed, "people of colour" we are all of one colour or another, its not the issue,

The issue is illegal immigrants and their removal, not their colour. If more of one "colour" is deported than another "colour" then so what?, perhaps one colour is more widely represented within the illegal "community" or maybe just easier to spot depending on their location,

Honestly I neither know nor care, but Its not a competition, or an exercise in equality, its an exercise in deportation and as long as plenty are being apprehended and sent packing it matters not what colour they are, hopefully all the illegals, regardless of "colour" will eventually be gone,

There is no point in keeping tabs on things to such a degree, They all have to go , Black, white , yellow , Adults, kids, male , female and those in between

5 minutes ago, Bday Prang said:

i'm not a racist so I can't say I noticed, "people of colour" we are all of one colour or another, its not the issue,

The issue is illegal immigrants and their removal, not their colour. If more of one "colour" is deported than another "colour" then so what?, perhaps one colour is more widely represented within the illegal "community" or maybe just easier to spot depending on their location,

Honestly I neither know nor care, but Its not a competition, or an exercise in equality, its an exercise in deportation and as long as plenty are being apprehended and sent packing it matters not what colour they are, hopefully all the illegals, regardless of "colour" will eventually be gone,

There is no point in keeping tabs on things to such a degree, They all have to go , Black, white , yellow , Adults, kids, male , female and those in between

What you described is a age old argument for LAW & ORDER!

Justice is blind ! Especially when the ACLU and other SJW Leftist NGO's are watching every move by this admin , to thwart the chaos created by the left.

3 hours ago, unblocktheplanet said:

Please be so Good as to cite the instances of ICE arrests and deportations which were not people of color.

please stab a guess at where many illegals to the US come from hang on AI has saved you the problem....

Most unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. have historically come from Mexico, but recent trends show a significant diversification, with large and growing populations from Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras), South America (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador), and even countries like India and China, though Mexican numbers have declined but remain the largest single group. 

Plenty of different colours in that lot I would imagine, but clearly not enough for you , Should the authorities waste time looking for non existent white scandinavian illegals just to keep you happy ?

5 minutes ago, riclag said:

What you described is a age old argument for LAW & ORDER!

Justice is blind ! Especially when the ACLU and other SJW Leftist NGO's are watching every move by this admin , to thwart the chaos created by the left.

well my comment was never going to be popular with those seeking to defund the police,

or with those who would do away with borders. or any other misguided leftists

They will only be happy when... lol... they don't even know the answer to that themselves