As we celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this year, we are forced to look at a nation that has replaced his dream with a waking nightmare. The air in our cities is thick with the literal and figurative smoke of state-sponsored terror, and our streets are occupied by masked, unmarked paramilitary groups under the banner of Operation Metro Surge. Dr. King spoke of a “Beloved Community” built on justice and the inherent dignity of all people, but there is no justice and this is not law enforcement. This is a state-sponsored terror campaign that is shattering families, murdering civilians, and proving once and for all that reform is no longer an option. ICE must be abolished.
“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1967
No Human is Illegal on Stolen Land
The foundational lie of ICE is the concept of the “illegal alien.” But what those people fail to understand, or let’s be real, admit, is that no human can be illegal on stolen land. This country was built on the displacement and genocide of Indigenous peoples and the forced labor of enslaved Africans. For an agency created in 2003 to now claim the authority to snatch people from their homes and “remove” them from land that was never theirs to begin with is the height of colonial arrogance.
When ICE breaks down doors without warrants and drags parents away from screaming children, they are continuing a long, dark history of state-sanctioned displacement. Dr. King warned us that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” As long as ICE is allowed to exist, no one is safe. They have proven that they will target citizens and non-citizens alike, fueled by billions of dollars and a mandate of hate.
A Trail of Blood and Assault in 2026
To call this agency “unethical” is an understatement. In the first 16 days of 2026 alone, five people have died in ICE custody. Simply put, ICE is a terrorist organization. It is literally a description of their tactics. In just the first two weeks of this year, the agency has left a trail of trauma that should shake the conscience of the entire nation.
The Murder of Keith Porter Jr.: On New Year’s Eve in Northridge, Keith Porter Jr. was gunned down by off-duty ICE agent Brian Palacios. Keith was a Black father and community member. Despite the agency’s attempts at character assassination, the community knows the truth. Keith was a victim of a culture that empowers agents to act as executioners in our own driveways.
Homicide at Fort Bliss: On January 3, Geraldo Lunas Campos died at the tent city in El Paso. While the agency claimed medical distress, witness accounts and preliminary medical reports tell a more haunting story. He was seen choked to death by five guards while crying that he could not breathe.
Tear Gassing Infants: Just days ago in Minneapolis, a six-month-old baby was rushed to the hospital. The child was unconscious and foaming at the mouth after ICE agents deployed tear gas into a family’s car during a traffic surge. Three of the infant’s family members were also left hospitalized following the attack.
Woman Raped Repeatedly by ICE Agent: ICE agent David Courvelle pled guilty to raping a Nicaraguan woman over the course of several months at a Louisiana ICE detention facility. Prosecutors said he would bring the victim letters and pictures of her daughter, along with food. The rapist admitted to hiring lookouts while he raped the woman in a janitorial closet. He was released on a mere $10,000 bond and will be sentenced on April 10, with a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
White Woman Murdered: Coward ICE agent Jonathan Ross murdered Renee Good for merely trying to drive and get out of the way, then proceeded to deny medical attention that was there trying to help. And yes, I specified that she was white because it is a sign to other white people across America that it can happen to them too. Too many white people have been disturbingly unbothered by the nastiness and racial violence in this country and finally, there’s been a surge of more white people recognizing that this is not okay and never has been. In fact, it wasn’t until Renee Good was murdered on January 7, 2026 that the rest of the [white] world found out about Keith Porter being murdered on December 31, 2025. Funny how that worked out, huh? It is still very much a white supremacist world in the US, and they will get rid of anyone who gets in the way of their initiative to displace and disappear people of color.
It is clear that ICE views itself as above the law, operating with a specific racial animus that targets Black and Brown bodies regardless of their citizenship status. These are not isolated. These are just a few who were caught in the last two weeks, but they are everywhere. Raping and murdering women, children, and even men that they already kidnapped and tore away from homes. There is always more that is just not caught on video or reported.
“When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism and militarism are incapable of being conquered.” — Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., 1967
How Mental Health is Impacted by This War Against Peace
Beyond the physical violence, ICE is conducting a war on the mental wellbeing of our society. Dr. King spoke of the need for “creative maladjustment.” This is the refusal to ever become adjusted to cruelty. Today, our communities are suffering from a clinical health crisis born of toxic stress, induced by ICE and the Trump administration.
And it is bad. Worse than bad. Children are afraid to go to school, families are afraid to leave their homes, and people who are traveling abroad are afraid to come back. People are not even safe in their own homes because these ICE thugs are breaking into houses, tearing families apart, and leaving children as orphans without a single ounce of consciousness. It is ripping apart the fabric of democracy and trying to make people too afraid to participate or fight back.
The climate of fear created by thousands of agents surging into cities is designed to break the psychological peace of the people. Because when your psyche is broken, you cannot think straight. You cannot make thoughtful decisions on how to keep yourself safe and also fight against the fascists. You become so mentally and emotionally exhausted that you eventually run out of energy and stop resisting. That is exactly their goal. This constant state of trauma is a form of psychological warfare. It is the same kind of psychological warfare used in the Holocaust.
Abolition as the Only Path to Peace
Dr. King said that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. You cannot fix an agency that chokes people to death or gasses babies. Those are not accidents. They are part of a system built on hate.
True peace is not just the absence of war. It is the feeling of being safe in your own skin. We will not have that peace as long as ICE is hunting our friends and neighbors. For Keith Porter Jr., for Renee Good, for that baby in Minneapolis, and for anyone murdered, assaulted, kidnapped, or terrorized by ICE, we must stop the terror. The only way to do that is to abolish ICE and restore power to the people on this stolen land.
What Can You Do Now?
I’m so glad you asked. That shows that you are indeed, human, and have a conscience. Action doesn’t always mean you have to take it to the streets and march with everyone, though that is a strong show of solidarity. There are lots of ways that you can make a difference and contribute to the movement, instead of being a complicit bystander. Yes, complicit. Because just like the people who were in positions to help during the Holocaust that chose not to “get involved,” you, too, would be considered complicit and contributing to the problem. Choose to be on the right side of history. Choose humanity. Here are a few ways you can start:
⦿ Speak up. Share these stories so people know that “legality” is a lie on stolen land.
⦿ Support your neighbors. If you see ICE, record them and write down any relevant information about what you witness. As safely as you can, stand with the people they are trying to terrorize.
⦿ Defund the Hate. Call your members of Congress and demand they stop funding ICE and Border Patrol. Tell them you do not want your tax dollars used to expand detention centers or pay for “Operation Metro Surge.” Here is a form to email your state legislators.
⦿ Refer People to Legal Help. If you know someone at risk, connect them with immigration legal service providers or pro bono programs. Having a lawyer is often the only thing that stands between a neighbor and a deportation flight.
⦿ Join a Rapid Response Team. Look for local interfaith coalitions or groups like HIAS and AFSC that run response networks. These teams help observe ICE presence, document their actions, and provide immediate support to families during raids.
⦿ Volunteer. Volunteer to walk with people to their ICE check-ins or deportation hearings. Showing up as a community member provides moral support and shows the government that we are watching.
⦿ Know the Rights. Download “Know Your Rights” guides and share them in your community. Help others understand that they do not have to open the door for ICE without a warrant signed by a judge.
⦿ Offer Sanctuary. If you belong to a faith community, talk to them about becoming a sanctuary space. This is a powerful way to provide a physical safe haven for those being hunted by the state.
⦿ Donate to Bail Funds. Support the National Bail Fund Network. Paying someone’s bond is a direct way to get them out of a dangerous detention center and back to their family.
Dr. King once said that we are all caught in an “inescapable network of mutuality.” What happens to a father in a driveway in Northridge or a baby in a car in Minneapolis happens to all of us. When we allow an agency to terrorize our neighbors, we are letting them terrorize the very idea of a free and peaceful society.
True mental wellbeing cannot exist in a world where we have to look over our shoulders. It cannot exist when we are “adjusted” to the sight of cages and masks. We owe it to ourselves, and to the generations coming after us, to demand a world where every person can breathe easy. Abolishing ICE is about more than just closing buildings. It is about choosing love over fear. It is about finally honoring the people who have always belonged to this land. This MLK Day, let’s stop dreaming and start acting. Let’s build a world where the only thing that is “illegal” is the act of tearing a family apart.
Power to the people. Peace to the land.
