The MeidasTouch Podcast

Episode: Trump Busted on Footage Before Full Invasion Starts
Date: September 10, 2025

Overview

This intense episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast, led by the Meiselas brothers and their team, documents a disturbing escalation of ICE raids and federal crackdowns under the Trump administration. Through raw citizen footage and frontline reports, the hosts spotlight the authoritarian tactics being used to round up immigrants, target minority U.S. citizens, disrupt families, and trample on civil rights. The episode serves as both a call to action and a catalogue of abuses—intending to rally democratic resistance and expose the regime's overreach.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. ICE Crackdown: Brutality and Civil Rights Violations

• Opening Call to Action: The episode starts with a heartfelt plea to share footage exposing ICE brutality, highlighting the need for awareness and resistance.
  • “It's not a question of whether authoritarianism is coming, it is here. Right now the question is what do we do to fight back? We expose it, we resist, we build this grassroots movement together.” (Michael Tracey, 01:57)
• Reports of ICE, described by hosts as “Trump’s Gestapo,” deploying militarized tactics against migrants and citizens protesting or near detention centers.
• Citizen journalists are celebrated for capturing and surfacing these abuses.
• Notable incident: In LA, peaceful protesters—including a woman—are tackled and dragged by federal agents, while in Portland, even veterans and nurses are not spared.

2. Authoritarian Policy Backing by the Supreme Court

• Detailed condemnation of Supreme Court decisions that enable racial profiling and prioritize targeting Latinos and Black Americans.
  • "The fascist right wing United States Supreme Court has basically said go for it. Racially profile Latinos." (Michael Tracey, 08:22)

3. Specific Raids and Firsthand Accounts

A. New York Immigration Courthouse

• Sandy Bacon, a frontline independent journalist, documents ICE agents confronting a U.S. citizen, demanding identification and nearly detaining him.
  • "Why he push me? Listen to me, listen to me. … Okay, this my license. You can check everything, whatever you want." (00:00-08:20, paraphrased)
• The broader pattern: citizens with brown or black skin are routinely harassed.

B. Cato, New York—Granola Bar Factory Raid

• ICE and local sheriffs surround a factory, selectively detain “Hispanic-looking” employees, and prevent some from accessing ID or legal papers.
• Testimony from the company’s owner highlights the shock, the sense of inhumanity, families separated, and community upheaval.
  • "To have them taken away is not only unfortunate, it's just inhumane almost the way you see it." (Lenny Schmidt, 12:05)

C. Chicago—Elderly Street Vendor Targeted

• ICE agents, some displaying Trump campaign symbols (potential Hatch Act violations), detain a beloved elderly street florist.
• Community response is one of shock, sadness, and determination, with activists refusing to “tolerate our people getting kidnapped.”
  • “People may be afraid, but also people are determined to say this is our home, this is where we belong, and we will not just sit back and tolerate our people getting kidnapped.” (16:47)

D. Asheville, NC—ICE Ambushes Exonerated Man

• After being found not guilty in court, Jadiel Sanchez is seized in a crosswalk by heavily armed ICE agents.
• Eyewitness attorneys and local police express fears of inter-agency conflict and describe the scene as “shocking in that this is America.”
  • "People in tactical gear and long guns run towards somebody and literally just grab them." (James Mills, 20:11)

E. Georgia—Hyundai Plant Raid

• ICE raids a Hyundai plant seeking a handful of Latino workers but instead detains legal South Korean workers with valid visas, harming international business relations.
• Absence of Korean translators points to ignorance and recklessness in execution.
  • “They were looking for four Latino workers. That’s it. … The Koreans were never part of the plan, which is why they didn’t even bring a single Korean translator with them.” (Lawyer for employees, 23:15)

4. Community & Political Reactions

• New York’s governor condemns the family-separating raids, vowing to oppose inhumane practices while seeking “real” security and just policies.
  • “We will never stand for masked ICE agents separating families and abandoning children. … Today's raids will not make New York safer. What they did was shatter hardworking families.” (13:40)
• Congressman Garcia in Chicago warns that such intimidation may increase during cultural celebrations, highlighting the regime’s use of fear as political intimidation.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "I rarely ask for favors, but we need as many people in this country and the world to know what is truly taking place in the United States as people are being rounded up, beaten, sent to concentration camps, disappeared, and having their lives destroyed by this authoritarian regime."
  (Michael Tracey, 01:57)

• “This is not going after the worst of the worst, as Trump or Secretary Noem have tried to justify. This is racial profiling, it’s discriminatory, it’s wrong, and it is a potential threat against the civil rights of everyone in this country.”
  (Michael Tracey, 17:50)

• "Men with tactical vests stop in the middle of the road to take away a human being."
  (Michael Tracey, 20:31)

• Community solidarity:
  “People may be afraid, but also people are determined to say this is our home, this is where we belong, and we will not just sit back and tolerate our people getting kidnapped.” (16:47)

• Industry impact:
  “These individuals were working for those companies in installing the plant. So the plant could then employ U.S. workers. … And here are the people in their shackles.” (Hyundai plant lawyer, 23:15 & Michael Tracey, 25:02)

Important Timestamps

• 01:57: Michael Tracey’s impassioned call to expose ICE brutality and fight authoritarianism
• 05:30: Sandy Bacon’s frontline reporting at a New York immigration courthouse
• 09:44: Granola bar factory raid in Cato, NY—mass detentions, families separated
• 13:28: NY governor’s response denouncing family-separating raids
• 16:25: Chicago flower vendor and community response to ICE intimidation, evidence of political partisanship in enforcement
• 18:34: Armed ICE arrest of acquitted North Carolina man outside courthouse
• 22:08: Hyundai plant raid: legal South Korean workers detained, economic consequences

Tone & Style

The episode is urgent, raw, and deeply personal. There is palpable outrage, sadness, and a fierce commitment to democratic values and civil rights. True to MeidasTouch’s style, the hosts blend detailed reporting, emotional appeals, and a sense of collective action—always encouraging listeners to get involved, stay informed, and resist creeping authoritarianism.

Conclusion

This episode of The MeidasTouch Podcast offers a thorough and emotional record of the Trump administration’s ICE policies in action, from brutal detentions of innocent citizens to massive factory raids and the trampling of constitutional rights. Through firsthand accounts, video evidence, and analysis, the Meiselas brothers and their correspondents issue a clear warning: American democracy and civil rights are under immediate threat, and only broad, informed resistance can stop the slide into authoritarianism.