Why is ICE being stalked today but was not during Obama or Biden administrations
Executive summary
ICE is being followed, confronted and filmed in unprecedented numbers now because the agency’s operations under the current administration are more public, more numerous, and explicitly politicized — a shift that has produced mass protests, legal challenges and a surge in public distrust [1] [2] [3]. Past administrations ran ICE differently: lower‑visibility interior enforcement priorities, more restrained publicity around operations, and messaging that dampened street confrontations even as removal numbers at times were higher [4] [5].
1. What “being stalked” looks like and why it has spiked
The phrase refers to crowds trailing agents, recording arrests, naming officers, and massing at facilities and hotels where ICE personnel are believed to be — behavior that exploded after high‑profile fatal encounters like the Minneapolis shooting and coordinated national actions such as the “ICE Out For Good” weekend, which organized more than 1,000 events and amplified street pressure on the agency [6] [7] [8]. News organizations report a steady increase in confrontations where protesters surround officers during arrests and deploy whistles and digital documentation to disrupt operations, turning routine enforcement into highly visible, often volatile public spectacles [2] [9].
2. A change in tactics: from discreet enforcement to high‑footprint operations
Former ICE officials and reporters say the current approach is “high‑visibility, high‑footprint, high‑contact,” intentionally designed to demonstrate enforcement at scale; those methods invite danger and crowds in ways earlier administrations largely avoided, opting instead for lower‑profile interior enforcement and fewer theatrical raids [9] [4]. The administration’s explicit intent to ramp up arrests and deportations has translated into conspicuous street operations and social‑media amplification that become rallying points for activists and locals [1] [2].
3. Political rhetoric and the weaponization of public opinion
Political leaders have framed ICE alternately as heroic law enforcement and as an authoritarian threat, and that polarized rhetoric fuels public response: White House messaging that praises aggressive enforcement energizes supporters while sharp criticisms from governors, mayors and advocacy groups mobilize opposition — a dynamic visible in the divergent reactions to recent shootings and raids [10] [1] [6]. Civil liberties groups argue the administration’s labeling of dissent as “domestic terrorism” and talk of surveilling protesters signals an intent to target critics as well as migrants, heightening fears and intensifying protests [11] [7].
4. Structural and operational shifts that make encounters more combustible
Beyond rhetoric, practical changes matter: accelerated hiring and truncated training, a push for more forceful field tactics, and an active social‑media presence by DHS components make enforcement both more common and more visible, increasing the odds of dramatic confrontations that draw crowds and cameras [9] [2]. Analysts note that while ICE’s arrest totals in some prior years were higher, those actions were executed with less public spectacle and fewer live broadcasts, reducing the immediate impetus for mass street response [5] [4].
5. Why earlier administrations faced less on‑the‑ground backlash despite high removals
Obama’s and Biden’s ICE policies, while criticized for large removal numbers, were administered with less overt showmanship and more narrowly publicized priorities — for example focusing publicly on criminals and national‑security threats — which limited the everyday visibility that now draws protesters to the streets [5] [4]. Reporting suggests that public outrage today is shaped as much by live video and concentrated political theater as by enforcement volumes, meaning earlier peaks in removals didn’t translate into the same sustained street pressure because operations were conducted with a lower public profile [4] [5].
6. Accountability, perception and the widening Rorschach test
The result is a self‑reinforcing loop: showy enforcement produces viral footage, viral footage fuels protests and distrust, distrust becomes a political cudgel used by both sides to delegitimize investigations and policy, and ICE ends up less able to operate in communities and more frequently “stalked” by civilians and activists — a dynamic documented by journalists, civil‑liberties groups and former officials who warn that both public safety and trust are being eroded [1] [7] [11]. Reporting does not settle whether the uptick in confrontations is driven more by policy choices, media dynamics, or partisan messaging; sources differ on emphasis, but all document the novel visibility and politicalization of ICE operations in this moment [2] [9] [3].