Podcast Summary: Diabolical Lies

Episode: ICE is a Public Jobs Program for Losers
Hosts: Katie Gatti Tassin (“A”) & Caro Claire Burke (“B”)
Date: January 25, 2026

Smart. Sane. Unbearable.

Episode Overview

This episode of Diabolical Lies confronts the role of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in America, spotlighting its origins, evolution, and the normalization of militarized law enforcement. The hosts critically examine the ways state violence is justified—often through the language of “public safety”—and challenge mainstream narratives perpetuated by both political parties. With a mix of dark humor and rigorous critique, they underscore ICE’s dubious expansion, the dangerous lack of accountability, and the role of media in manufacturing public consent.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Tone & Context

• Begins with a somber dedication to victims of state violence (00:00) and immediate banter on how the episode will cover serious, uncomfortable topics over lighter fare.
• Caro provides an update on the podcast’s redistribution efforts—donating 100% of Q1 funds to ICE-related organizations, focusing largely on Minneapolis (01:08), and celebrates grassroots activism.

2. Setting the Agenda: What the Episode Will Cover

Katie lays out the conversation’s focal points (02:08):

• How media manufactures consent
• State violence and individual identity
• The use of “public safety” and “order” to justify violence
• Viewing current events as part of a long historical continuity

"Talking about ICE like it’s a story about immigration actually feels like a little bit of a red herring... This is less about immigration... and more about our comfort and complacency with the militarization of law enforcement and mass incarceration in this country." – Katie [02:19]

3. Case Study: The Killing of Renee Good by ICE

A detailed, harrowing breakdown of a recent ICE killing—caught on many cameras in Minneapolis, near where George Floyd was killed (03:43–05:52). Katie points out:

• Officers gave contradictory commands (one told Renee to drive away, another to get out).
• The whole incident was extensively filmed by both officers and bystanders.
• Last words of the victim:

  “It’s okay, dude, I’m not mad at you.”

• After shooting, an agent mutters, “fucking bitch.”
• Caro highlights a key distinction: the victim was a white woman (05:52), unusual for viral law enforcement killings which more commonly victimize Black men.

Notable Moment

“Renee Good is a white woman.” – Caro [05:52]
“The person being killed in these types of viral law enforcement murders are usually black men. And of course, this happened in Minneapolis, about a mile from where George Floyd was murdered by police in 2020.” – Katie [05:54]

4. Political and Media Response: Emptiness of Rhetoric

• Critique of performative outrage by local officials (e.g., Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey) and empty language from both parties (06:41).
• Mockery of the idea that swearing in official statements indicates seriousness.
• Caro reads from Donald Trump’s “Truth Social” post blaming the “radical left” for violence against law enforcement (07:22–08:08).
• Kristi Noem’s (and Justice Kavanaugh’s) statements reinforce the myth that legal status protects people from state violence (08:29–09:03).

Notable Quote

“Anyone who is a citizen of this country or is here legally has nothing to fear.” – Kristi Noem (read by Katie) [08:30]

5. Challenging the Myth of Legal Status Protection

• Katie summarizes ProPublica’s reporting: at least 170 American citizens were illegally detained by immigration agents in 9 months—one every 36 hours—often children or vulnerable people (09:04–10:37).
• Identity and legal status offer no protection in practice.

6. Patterns of State Violence: Other Cases

• Other high-profile law enforcement shootings—e.g., Marimar Martinez, a US citizen teacher labeled a “terrorist” after CBP rammed her car and shot her five times (10:46–12:18).
• Commentary on the double standards and misogyny in public discourse around these events.

Notable Quote

“ICE officers routinely calling people ‘bitch’ and no one thinks that this is indicative... There is an entire portion of this country that thinks that that is entirely appropriate for a law enforcement officer to say.” – Caro [11:58]

7. Debunking Common Political Arguments

• Right-wing: Victims “caused” their own deaths through disorderliness.
• Liberal: Incidents are due to poor officer training.
• Katie rebuts both, noting that:
  • Police killings have continued to increase post-George Floyd (13:49).
  • The shooter of Renee Good was an experienced ICE and Iraq War veteran, not undertrained (14:02).

8. Manufacture of Public Consent & the Role of Media

• Law enforcement encounters are almost always filmed—if agents were being assaulted, there would be footage (14:46–15:48).
• Body cam and bystander video tends to show state violence, not civilian aggression.

9. ICE: Origins and Agency Culture

• ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) was founded in 2003, after 9/11 and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (15:49–18:24).
• Other agencies under DHS: CBP (Customs and Border Protection), USCIS (Citizenship and Immigration Services).
• The hosts read and raze official recruitment copy and graphics, mocking their overtly nationalistic, militaristic, and poorly-crafted messages (17:04–19:43).

Notable “Recruitment” Copy

“America needs you. America has been invaded by criminals and predators. We need you to get them out. You do not need an undergraduate degree. Fabulous.” – (ICE website, read by Caro) [19:08]

10. ICE’s Dysfunction, Corruption, and Origins in State Violence

• ICE/CBP have long been plagued by corruption, violence, and poor oversight; the ACLU called their child treatment “monstrous” during the Obama years (21:12).
• Even after the post-9/11 surge, there has been consistent agent criminality—one agent per 24–36 hours arrested for a crime (21:12–21:38).

Insightful Commentary

“You also have an entire agency that's founded on a lie… The entire notion of it is based in Islamophobia and greed.” – Caro [21:38]

• Both parties support ICE expansion—even Democrats and “liberals” like Obama, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom (22:42–23:33).
• Size of ICE force doubled in the past year (23:48–24:26), while no similar expansion in immigration judges: sign of intent to ramp up arrests, not fair process.

11. ICE’s Broken Recruitment and Militarization

• Undercover journalist found hiring to be so rushed and careless that no one knows who’s being armed or sent into the field (24:59–25:31).
• Many ICE agents are recruited from the military, especially those who struggled to assimilate as civilians (25:52–26:33).
• The ICE role attracts people who desire power and authority—“judge, jury and executioner.”

Notable Quote

“He’s like, I like being judge, jury and executioner of the American people. It makes me feel good.” – Caro [25:52]

12. America’s Perpetual Draft: Economic Coercion into State Violence

• Caro draws a parallel between the military draft and economic coercion: inability to afford college or decent work pushes young people into the military, which then channels them into law enforcement—a “perpetual draft” (27:19–27:45).

Notable Quote

“That is essentially a draft that is coercive.” – Caro [27:45]

13. Final Reflection: ICE as a Tool for Managing the Disenfranchised

• Katie summarizes: ICE is now an “unaccountable group of roving, random, masked people with guns and bulletproof vests who are emboldened to do basically whatever the fuck they want” (27:45–27:54).
• The present-day scenario is “an extremely concerning situation” that deserves public outrage.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

| Timestamp | Quote | Speaker | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|---------| | 02:19 | “Talking about ICE like it’s a story about immigration... is... a red herring.” | Katie | | 05:54 | “Renee Good is a white woman.” | Caro | | 06:41 | “Jacob Frey... made a big show of saying get the fuck out to ice... looking around, waiting for everyone to be, like, super impressed that they're swearing now.” | Caro | | 08:30 | “Anyone who is a citizen of this country or is here legally has nothing to fear.” | Kristi Noem (quoted by Katie) | | 09:04 | “An American citizen is being illegally detained every 36 hours.” | Katie | | 11:58 | “ICE officers routinely calling people ‘bitch’ and no one thinks that this is indicative ...” | Caro | | 14:46 | “We’ve heard a lot about the assault of police officers... Where's the body cam footage showing protesters injuring cops...?” | The Nation (quoted by Caro) | | 19:08 | “America needs you and the U is in red... You do not need an undergraduate degree. Fabulous.” | Caro (quoting ICE website) | | 21:38 | “You also have an entire agency that's founded on a lie...” | Caro | | 25:52 | “He’s like, I like being judge, jury and executioner of the American people.” | Caro (quoting undercover reporting) | | 27:45 | “We have an ongoing draft at all times... That is essentially a draft that is coercive.” | Caro |

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [00:00–01:39] – Dedication, Episode framing, Redistribution announcement
• [02:08–03:34] – Main topics previewed, Episode objectives
• [03:43–05:52] – The killing of Renee Good, breakdown of the viral video
• [05:54–07:14] – Identity analysis; media and political reactions
• [07:22–09:03] – Right-wing rhetoric, “legal status = safety” myth debunked
• [09:04–10:37] – ProPublica stats, legal status offers no protection
• [10:46–12:28] – Other egregious ICE/CBP shootings, misogyny in framing
• [13:49–14:46] – Crime stats, rebuttal to “lack of training” argument
• [15:48–19:43] – ICE, DHS, and agency self-presentation; critique of recruitment
• [21:12–22:23] – History and normalization of corruption in ICE and CBP
• [22:42–23:33] – Both parties as pro-law enforcement; no meaningful opposition to ICE
• [24:26–24:59] – Rapid ICE expansion, lack of oversight
• [24:59–26:33] – Undercover reporting on ICE recruitment, ex-military demographics
• [27:19–27:54] – Economic compulsion as a “draft” for law enforcement and military

Conclusion

ICE is a Public Jobs Program for Losers delivers a sharp, historically contextualized critique of how ICE operates as a manifestation of America’s ongoing comfort with state-sanctioned violence, masked as “public safety.” The hosts blend personal insight, pointed research, and biting wit to deconstruct popular myths and expose the normalization of law enforcement brutality in America—no longer confined by racial, legal, or even party lines.