Sarah Longwell: Cops Are Worried ICE Turned People Against Police - Bulwark Takes

Episode Overview

Main Theme:
This episode of Bulwark Takes features Sarah Longwell discussing the profound backlash against recent actions by ICE and law enforcement, especially following high-profile police shootings in Minneapolis. Drawing from recent focus groups—including those with law enforcement—Longwell explores how these events are shifting public opinion, even among Trump voters, and causing law enforcement professionals to worry about lasting damage to their standing with the public.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Widespread Public Awareness and Anger

Sarah Longwell shares the scope of awareness:
- “Everybody knows what is happening… Not only has everybody heard about these shootings but everybody's seen the videos, they've examined them for themselves.” (02:03)
- The shootings of Renee Goode and Alex Preddy have cut through the noise of current events. The Alex Preddy case is especially clear-cut and impactful on public sentiment.
Shift in reactions:
- The public is increasingly “fed up with these sort of overzealousness of these ICE agents, the fact that they're paroling the streets in masks...” (03:10)
- Many voters, including some Trump voters, feel Trump is not addressing real concerns but instead creating further chaos.

2. The Public’s Changing Tolerance for Enforcement Tactics

Child Separation and Use of Children as Bait
- The practice of using children, such as Liam Ramos, to lure family members has especially angered the public.
- “This idea of using kids as bait, of going into schools, of going into churches, these are the kinds of things that Americans reject.” (04:58)
Desire for humane solutions:
- Voters want “a policy solution… but they do want people to be treated humanely.” Even Trump/Biden swing voters express this, showing the issue cuts across party lines.

3. Law Enforcement Voices on Public Trust and ICE’s Impact

Focus Group Insights:
- Law enforcement officers themselves express demoralization and concern about loss of community trust.
- “I don't know anybody who saw the video. The most recent one in Minneapolis, I said single handedly set police back easily 100 to 50 to 100 years.” — Law Enforcement Officer (06:46)
Distinction between ICE and Local Police
- Officers stress that actions by federal agencies like ICE are harming the relationship between the police and the public, making the job of local law enforcement harder:
  - “ICE are not the same… But they feel like what it is going to do is break the trust between the American people and law enforcement writ large, and that that's something you can't just get back in a day.” (07:51)

4. Backlash Against Administration and GOP Figures

Rejection of Trump’s Framing:
- The public is reacting strongly against the official narrative as pushed by Trump, Kristi Noem, and Stephen Miller.
- The fact that videos directly contradict official statements is leading to a “crisis of trust.”
  - “That smearing of him [Preddy] is something that voters took note of. They're like, that's not what the video shows. I'm watching it with my own eyes, and I think that… we can't trust their statement of events because we can see that they're lying to us.” (09:04)
Even within Trump’s coalition:
- Some voters who previously supported Trump or swapped from Biden to Trump are now calling for accountability from figures like Kristi Noem, indicating a real fracture.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“Not only has everybody heard about these shootings but everybody's seen the videos, they've examined them for themselves.”
— Sarah Longwell, 02:08
“They hired Trump to secure the border… but they did not want this, people in our streets… shooting Americans.”
— Sarah Longwell, 03:23
“This idea of using kids as bait, of going into schools, of going into churches, these are the kinds of things that Americans reject.”
— Sarah Longwell, 04:58
“I don't know anybody who saw the video… said single handedly set police back easily 50 to 100 years. Easily… what one badge does, everybody gets blamed for it.”
— Law Enforcement Officer, 06:32
“What it is going to do is break the trust between the American people and law enforcement writ large, and that's something you can't just get back in a day.”
— Sarah Longwell, 07:51
“That smearing of him is something that voters took note of… that's not what the video shows… we can't trust their statement of events because we can see that they're lying to us.”
— Sarah Longwell, 09:04

Timestamps for Key Segments

[02:03] – Longwell on public awareness of shootings, especially Alex Preddy’s case
[04:58] – Discussion on the use of children as bait and public rejection of such tactics
[06:14] – Focus group: Law enforcement’s reaction and fear of losing public trust
[07:51] – Law enforcement’s view on long-term impact on trust
[09:04] – Public’s loss of trust in Trump administration official statements

Summary Flow & Takeaways

The episode features an urgent, unfiltered look at a critical moment in U.S. law enforcement and immigration policy response.
Sarah Longwell’s focus group findings reveal that outrage is cutting across party lines, spurred by the graphic and undeniable nature of recent videos.
The actions of ICE agents and the federal government are not only alienating regular voters, but also demoralizing rank-and-file law enforcement, who see their public standing endangered.
Key GOP talking points are being directly undermined by video evidence, fueling a trust crisis with real political consequences.
The podcast maintains The Bulwark’s signature tone: factual, conversational, and deeply attentive to evolving public sentiment.

Transcript

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Political Analyst (0:59)

Hey, guys, I was on with Nicole Wallace earlier today. Also Alex Wagner and Andrew Weissman. They were on with me. And we were all talking about Minneapolis, but I specifically was talking about a lot of what we've been hearing in the focus groups since the Alex Preddy shooting, including from a brand new group of police officers, law enforcement types that we just did and so lot in there. Obviously, I have talked a lot about Minneapolis. I really was focused in this one on the shift in public opinion and how frustrated Americans are after seeing, you know, their fellow citizens get shot in the street. And it is having an impact on public opinion. And really, for the first time, we're seeing the Trump administration blink in the face of public backlash and outcry. So that's what we're talking about. Hope you enjoy it. Go watch.

Interviewer (1:54)

Sarah Longwell, let me start with you. What do you say see happening in the country in terms of the public mood?

Political Analyst (2:03)

Well, you know, I listen to voters week in and week out in focus groups, and I cannot overstate how big of a shift there has been on just Minneapolis. And one of the things I want to start out with is just the fact that everybody knows what is happening. You know, I talk a lot about what it takes to break through in this noisy information environment. You know, voters, often we will be talking about something on this show or in Washington and voters won't have heard about it. Not only has everybody heard about these shootings but everybody's seen the videos, they've examined them for themselves. And people were already deeply uneasy after the shooting of Renee Goode. But to have a second shooting with Alex Preddy where I gotta say for voters, the Predi shooting is just much more clear cut. They looked at the Renee Goode one and people were able to tell themselves, well, she was in the car and how was the car turning? The mask agents, six of them, jumping on Alex Preddy, shooting him in the back, him clearly having his hands up, just trying to defend a woman that an ICE agent had shoved into the snow has created a really different environment where people are now saying they are, they are fed up with these sort of over zealousness of these ICE agents, the fact that they're paroling the streets in masks, the backlash. And look, obviously hardcore Trump voters, many of them will stick with him on this, but the vast majority of the country is just reaching kind of a tipping point on not only do they think this is wrong, what is happening, right. They hired Trump to secure the border, they hired Trump to deport dangerous criminals from the country, but they did not want this people in our streets. The other thing is Donald Trump is not doing the thing that voters hired him to do the most. Right. If people, if the economy was booming and people's prices were going down, they might, sometimes voters can forgive Trump for a lot of the things he does in that context. But at a time when Trump is not addressing their concerns and he's creating chaos in the streets and they're shooting Americans, that's when you start to see public opinion really start to move.