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Culture War Roundup for the week of January 5, 2026

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Normal police officers don't cover their faces, usually drive marked vehicles, have body cameras rather than filming with their personal cell phones, and will identify their name and badge number when asked. If a police officer were out of uniform and driving an unmarked vehicle, there would have to be much more tolerance for suspects supposedly "resisting arrest," because people wouldn't feel comfortable surrendering to some guy.

The mission of an ICE employee is also very different from a beat cop. ICE is trying to deport as many illegals as they can. Every person an ICE employee encounters is either an illegal alien who needs to be deported, or some busybody getting in the way of them deporting more illegals. Beat cops don't start their interactions with citizens under the assumption that they're interacting with a salvadorian cartel hitman. Policing is very different from protecting the country from external threats.

Normal police officers do cover their faces when dealing with the crap ICE is dealing with. They also drive unmarked vehicles when needed. Federal law enforcement officials do not have a requirement to personally identify themselves.

All you have delineated is that ICE does not act like a beat cop who is not expecting trouble. Yeah, obviously. But when the police go in expecting trouble, they act a lot like the ICE we see on videos where trouble has happened. And ICE's mission is to round up people who have ignored final orders for removal and/or have illegally entered our country. Do you object to the existence of parole officers and bail enforcement agents?

There are also lots of arrests ICE is making that are not shared to social media that go smoothly, everyone is pleasant, no force is used, and all looks a lot more like your beat cop example.