In the most recent episode of Last Week Tonight, John Oliver focused his trademarking biting scrutiny on the record of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). More broadly, he highlighted a scary pattern in how the agency is mistreating undocumented people across the country. He described the recently resumed cross-border raids and arrests. He described them as a disproportionate and punitive response, in an atmosphere of increased enforcement.
As of June, Oliver noted that people with only civil or immigration violations are the biggest percentage of ICE arrests nationwide. Remarkably, none of these people have a single criminal conviction. This unexpected announcement brings new scrutiny over the agency’s focus on the nation’s non-violent offenders. It raises important questions about the legality, effectiveness, and morality of these policies.
The comedian had very actionable suggestions for anyone who might run into ICE agents. He relayed that attorneys recommend two key responses: “Am I free to leave?” and “I want to speak to a lawyer.” His message really hit home on the necessity of understanding what your rights are when stopped by police.
Oliver went on to roundly condemn the Trump administration’s tactics. He singled out Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for defending these militaristic measures by claiming they’re protective. He derided Noem’s Chicken Little narrative, particularly her claim that videotaping the arrest was “fighting” the federal agents. He raised issues about the accuracy of those very claims.
Oliver injected humor into his critique by referencing the agency’s recruitment efforts, specifically mentioning ICE’s announcement of their newest recruit: former actor Dean Cain, known for his role as Superman. Oliver quipped, “If all you can get is Dean Cain, you are fucked,” illustrating his skepticism about ICE’s ability to effectively enforce its mission with questionable personnel choices.
He chided the administration on their ambitious goal of deporting one million people in a year. Oliver had raised eyebrows with his skepticism about this target. He noted that fact alone made the one million deportations unfeasible, especially when only six months into this plan, about 280,000 people had already been deported.
In the segment, Oliver stuck up for ICE’s sensitive side from recruiting advertisements that Oliver labeled as reprehensibly deceptive. One advertisement compared their enforcement to a bogus minivan commercial—perfect for moving dozens of “criminal illegal aliens.” These types of campaigns seemed to downplay and make light of very real and serious dilemmas related to immigration and enforcement.
Polls indicate a substantial change in the public sentiment. Nearly 4 in 5 respondents favor a pathway for legal citizenship for undocumented immigrants—an increase of almost 20 percentage points. Oliver pointed out that this increasing sentiment stands in sharp contrast to the heavy-handed tactics used by ICE. He went on to make the point that nationwide, large scale recruitment efforts rarely yield efficacious effects. He noted the agency’s decision to spend money instead on border patrol, bringing in the national guard, and using forces from other departments, including the Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The comedian articulated the worry. He argues that the reallocation of resources during the ICE crackdown has led law enforcement to ignore other crimes. Oliver stated, “Under his logic, I guess anyone could be a national security threat,” underscoring the potential dangers of broadly defining threats to justify aggressive enforcement.
He ended by grounding everyone with the reality check that the climate is still bad for most undocumented people.
“We are still in a very grim moment,” – John Oliver
As he wrapped up his analysis, Oliver remarked on the troubling nature of ICE’s actions: “It gets even more worrying.” Even in the face of powerful enforcement agencies, he called on viewers to take action. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Harvard Biz Review (@harvardbiz)
“As powerless as this can feel, as individuals there are still actions you can take,” – John Oliver