Fighting Back Against Illegal Detainment

In the months following the Wannsee Conference, the Nazi regime continued to carry out their plans for the “Final Solution.” Jews were “deported”—transported by trains or trucks to six camps, all located in occupied Poland: Chelmno, Treblinka, Sobibor, Belzec, Auschwitz-Birkenau, and Majdanek-Lublin. Most of the deportees were immediately murdered in large groups by poisonous gas. 

Remember these names: Abrego Garcia. Remeysa Ozturm. Mohsen Mahdawi. They are all victims of illegal detainment by immigration authorities. The Department of Justice had admitted that Garcia’s arrest and deportation was a ‘mistake.’ However, last night, she walked that back, saying he was a gang member, though she did not offer any evidence of that claim. Ozturm was taken outside her apartment by people who showed no proof of authority. Mahdawi was detained when he arrived at a citizenship interview in Vermont. None of these were legal. ICE is guilty of kidnapping.

The Atlantic thinks that the President has taken a step closer to a showdown with the Supreme Court. This comes after President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador refused even to consider returning Garcia. Remember, last Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered the administration to “facilitate the return” of the wrongfully detained sheet metal worker. Now, the Court has to decide how they will respond to the President ignoring them.

In Oval Office remarks yesterday, the President was asked whether he would be willing to deport American citizens convicted of violent crime to El Salvador. “I’m all for it,” he said. 

The statements are infuriating. Decent people everywhere are feeling both rage and frustration. What can we do to stop this horrible state of affairs from going any further? Is it time for violent revolt?

As much as we might want to gather our friends and our guns and put a stop to ICE operations, that really isn’t the best idea. ICE, Homeland Security, and the FBI all have the enforcement power of the United States Government on their side. They can do illegal things and the White House will support them. If we do illegal things, though, we may find ourselves making an unscheduled trip to El Salvador.

Direct physical intervention against armed federal agents, even if you strongly believe their actions are illegal (“extrajudicial kidnappings”), is almost certainly going to lead to very serious consequences for the citizen involved. You could face severe state or federal charges like assaulting a federal officer, obstructing justice, or resisting arrest, regardless of the legality of the agents’ initial actions. Law enforcement officers generally have significant legal protections when performing their duties, even if those duties are later found to have been executed unlawfully, and citizen’s arrest laws are typically very limited, especially when applied to federal officers. Attempting to physically stop them could result in severe injury or death to anyone involved.

So, while direct physical confrontation is extremely ill-advised and likely illegal, that absolutely does not mean citizens are powerless if they witness something they believe is a profound injustice, like an unlawful kidnapping by authorities. There are safer and potentially much more effective ways to intervene and resist within the bounds of the law.

One of the most powerful things a citizen can do is to observe and document carefully. If it’s safe to do so from a distance, recording video, taking photos, noting badge numbers (if visible), license plates, the exact time and location, the number of agents, and what is said can be invaluable. This documentation doesn’t physically interfere but creates crucial evidence for later accountability.

You can also verbally assert rights and ask questions clearly but calmly, again, without physically impeding the agents. Asking “Are they under arrest?”, “Do you have a warrant?”, “What is your name and badge number?” puts officers on notice they are being observed and potentially creates a record if they refuse to answer or act improperly.

Critically, the immediate next step should be to contact help. This means reaching out urgently to immigrant rights organizations, legal aid societies, the ACLU, or experienced immigration lawyers. These groups often have rapid response networks and know the legal channels to potentially intervene, challenge the detention, or file complaints. They need information quickly, which is why documentation is so important. You could try getting the name of the person being detained to pass along, if possible without endangering yourself.

Reporting the incident through official channels is another step. This could involve contacting the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG), which handles misconduct complaints against ICE or even the FBI. While immediate results might not occur, it creates an official record. Documented evidence, once reviewed by legal experts, can be shared with trusted media outlets or advocacy groups to bring public awareness and pressure, which can sometimes influence outcomes or lead to investigations.

There’s one more thing you can do, whether you directly witnessed a kidnapping or not: Participate in this Saturday’s March against President Punk’s administration. There are plenty of issues bringing people together to say, quite loudly, that we’ve had enough. This is a fantastic opportunity to meet people who think along the same lines as you, people who are passionate about seeing fairness and justice returned to our county. Should things continue to go South for all of us, we need those relationships to help us.

The German Foreign Ministry succeeded in pressuring most governments of occupied and allied nations to assist the Germans in the deportation of Jews living in their countries. In Punk’s meeting with Bukele yesterday, we saw the exact same thing happening. El Salvador’s dictator was bending to Punk’s wishes.

We have to act. We have to organize. We need to work together now more than ever. When we move as one, this horrible and unlawful administration cannot help but fall.