The Jim Acosta Show

Episode: ICYMI: My Coverage of the ICE OUT FOR GOOD PROTEST in DC

Date: January 11, 2026
Host: Jim Acosta

Episode Overview

This episode features Jim Acosta’s on-the-ground coverage of the “ICE OUT FOR GOOD” protest in Washington, DC. The episode captures the passion and urgency of a large-scale demonstration against ICE following the killing of Renee Goode, delving deeply into calls for solidarity, resistance against authoritarianism, and community action in the face of escalating federal violence. Through speeches from activists, veterans, and organizers, along with Acosta’s own reflections, the episode explores the intersecting crises of racial and immigrant justice, the erosion of democracy, and the looming danger of fascist policies under a rogue administration.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. De-escalation and Safety in Protest Spaces

01:49 — 02:03

• Speaker A (protest facilitator) stresses the importance of de-escalation techniques for protest safety:
  • Always communicate and check in with each other, especially in heated moments.
  • Distract agitators to defuse tense encounters, particularly when confronted by pro-Trump counter-protesters.
  • "You're always de escalating. You're always walking back, hey, I don't want to fight. I'm here to voice my opinion." (01:49)

2. Veteran Perspective on ICE Violence & Institutional Cruelty

02:09 — 10:11

• Speaker A (military veteran) draws a parallel between military rules of engagement and ICE's domestic operations:
  • Questions why ICE operates “with weapons of war, with tactics you would only see in Iraq or Afghanistan” (03:18).
  • Discusses the nonviolent nature of most immigration offenses and how ICE's violence is “the point,” constituting intentional fear and cruelty.
  • Personalizes the cost: shares story of Marlon Paris, a 30-year US resident and Iraq veteran, forced to “self-deport” due to inhumane detention conditions.
  • Denounces the “torture” and lack of medical care faced by detainees: “the cruelty is the point. The inhumanity is the point. And we're sick of it.” (09:03)
  • Emotional rallying cry: “We'll meet them in the streets with people... together we can push back against them. Together we can do this. We can push them back until ICE is gone. Until they abolish ICE.” (09:40–10:11)

3. Movement Solidarity and Call to Action

11:08 — 16:36

• Randy (F), founding member of FLARE (Liberation and Resistance Everywhere), expands on international and intersectional connections:
  • Names victims of ICE atrocities and warns: “These are the first 34 that we know about. I say first because there's going to be more...” (11:41)
  • Demands accountability and expulsion of “ICE, DHS, CBB and the rest” from cities, likening the current administration to historical dictatorships and warning of “another American genocide.” (12:51–13:51)
  • Powerful framing of anti-trans, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Black and Brown policies as integral to fascist divide-and-conquer strategies.
  • Urges listeners to recognize the “polarization” and “concentration camps” being built across the US—a chilling warning.
  • “What is new is us. Our movements, our connectedness, our resolve, our bravery and our love... We're the ones that are going to make a difference and we're the ones that are going to make history.” (15:39–16:09)

4. Personal Testimony: A Tone of Regret and Repentance

16:56 — 29:00

• Donnie (B): Former Obama appointee and public defender, with a personal reckoning on his role in the creation of the Homeland Security Act—“I am deeply sorry for that.”
  • Draws a direct connection between the murders of George Floyd and Renee Goode as catalyzing moments for interracial solidarity.
  • Reflects on the fleeting “opportunity to change the society” after Floyd’s murder, recounting how white women and other previously disengaged Americans began to listen:
    • “For the first time in my lifetime, white people are listening. They hear us.” (17:51)
  • Dissects backlash from both the white supremacist movement and internal divisions within Black liberation spaces.
  • Denounces the idea that “rest is resistance”—“Rest is not resistance. Rest is a recipe designed to put you and your children back in chains. Literally. Stand up and fight.” (25:41)
  • Appeals to all progressive groups to unite, regardless of minor differences, against “the enemy... far too evil and deadly to let the differences between us hinder our union.” (25:59–26:21)
  • Calls out the incremental normalization of authoritarian policies, warning of “functional concentration camps on American soil” and highlighting ongoing mass arrests.
  • Closes with a charged warning to the administration: “Indeed, you should tremble for your existence when you reflect that the people are just and that the people's justice will not sleep forever.” (28:33)

5. Socialist Solidarity and Grassroots Organizing

29:25 — 30:02

• Emma (E), from Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America:
  • Reaffirms DSA’s everyday commitment to supporting families and communities, emphasizing the ongoing, sustained nature of grassroots activism.

6. Jim Acosta’s On-the-Ground Reporting & Reflections

30:34 — End

• Jim Acosta provides his perspective as a journalist on-site at the protest:
  • Reports sizeable turnout (“about a thousand people”) and a mood both somber and passionate.
  • Frames the protests as a critical response to administration overreach: “a rogue administration... absolutely prepared to violate all of our constitutional rights to hang on to power.” (31:00–31:20)
  • Encourages resilience: “This is not a moment to be afraid. This is not a moment to show fear. This is a moment... to stiffen their spine. You have to have steel in your spine in moments like this.” (31:30)
  • Connects the protest to the broader historical arc of American anti-tyranny: “It is also the 250th anniversary of rejecting tyranny... People need to understand what this is all about.” (32:54–33:15)
  • Offers practical advice and moral encouragement: “Good trouble means if you're observing an ICE officer who is violating somebody's constitutional rights, you have the God given American right to pull out your cell phone and record that. Absolutely, 100%.” (33:44)
  • Personal and communal identification with the murdered: “You are Renee Goode. I am Renee Goode. We are Renee Goode.” (34:49)
  • Commits to ongoing reporting and urges listeners to remain vigilant and united: “It’s going to take all of us coming together to make sure that this, this democracy holds, that we reclaim this democracy, this, this way of life that we have had for so long...” (36:49)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Why the hell is ICE rolling around with weapons of war... in a place that's not a war zone?”
  (A, 03:18)

• “The cruelty is the point. The inhumanity is the point. And we're sick of it.”
  (A, 09:03)

• “I have friends everywhere. Repeat that for me. I have friends everywhere.”
  (Donnie, 16:58)

• “Rest is not resistance. Rest is a recipe designed to put you and your children back in chains. Literally. Stand up and fight.”
  (Donnie, 25:41)

• “What is new is us. Our movements, our connectedness, our resolve, our bravery and our love.”
  (Randy, 15:39)

• “If they feel comfortable murdering a white American woman in broad daylight, what do they have in store for people of color?”
  (Donnie, 24:51)

• “You are Renee Goode. I am Renee Goode. We are Renee Goode.”
  (Jim Acosta, 34:49)

• “Good trouble means if you're observing an ICE officer who is violating somebody's constitutional rights, you have the God given American right to pull out your cell phone and record that. Absolutely, 100%.”
  (Jim Acosta, 33:44)

Important Timestamps

• 01:49–02:03: Protest de-escalation tips
• 02:09–10:11: Veteran testimony on ICE and systemic violence
• 11:08–16:36: FLARE’s speech on international solidarity and warning on fascism
• 16:56–29:00: Donnie’s testimony, intersectional activism, call for unity
• 29:25–30:02: DSA’s Emma on daily grassroots work
• 30:34–37:25: Jim Acosta’s on-the-ground reporting and closing reflections

Tone & Style

The episode’s tone is impassioned, urgent, and at times, deeply personal. Speakers shift from quiet reflection to fiery oration, marked by both grief and defiance. Much of the rhetoric is direct, unflinching, and designed to motivate collective action—no-nonsense, sometimes raw, always rallying.

Conclusion

This episode of The Jim Acosta Show offers a moving, comprehensive look at protest in the face of state-sanctioned violence. Bringing in voices of veterans, long-time organizers, and everyday people, it is an urgent call not only to mourn but to organize, resist, and reclaim democracy. Through the framework of Renee Goode’s killing and the escalating actions of ICE and the Trump administration, the episode becomes a record of a movement determined to confront fear—not alone, but together.