Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have recently detained two teenagers on their way to enlist in the Marines in Texas. The episode sparked an angry reaction online, as many believed that the immigration agents had no business dealing with these two U.S.-born citizens.
As reported by The New Republic, the two teenagers were “violently attacked” by agents using spray, punched one of them, and held them for nearly eight hours before finally letting them go. At the time, the agents were reportedly arresting parents of students outside Santos Livas Elementary School in Alamo, Texas. The two teenagers started filming the operation, which sparked the reaction against them.
What made the situation stand out even more was that the teens were reportedly about to enlist in the military. According to the reports, the mother of one of them said: “How are they supposed to serve a country that doesn’t even uphold their basic rights?”
Internet Reacts to Actions of ICE Agents
These reports enraged people online, and many criticized the ICE agents on Reddit’s r/Politics. Someone wrote: “Cruelty is the goal. If they’re wrong and attack (or kill) someone who hasn’t done anything wrong, it doesn’t matter because the people who support them don’t care about facts or due process.”
Another person added: “If we are going to have any hope of ever recovering as a nation from the Trump era, if and when a new administration comes in, we are going to have to launch massive investigations into ICE and fully prosecute a ton of them.”
Others took a jab at the federal government, responding with sarcasm to the episode: “That’s the most American sentence I have seen today!” Some folks also had a warning for anyone thinking about joining the military: “Kids, do not sign up to fight for this regime. Wait till they are out of power. You do not want to be a tool for whatever stupid scheme they have in mind. They have no regard for your welfare.”
This was just the latest of many episodes linking ICE agents to violent actions in the United States. It remains to be seen whether these cases will continue to happen or whether they will settle down in the near future.
