The Political Scene | The New Yorker

Episode: From 9/11 to Minneapolis: How ICE Became a Paramilitary Force
Date: January 30, 2026
Host: Jane Mayer
Guests: Susan Glasser, Evan Osnos, Garrett Graff

Episode Overview

This urgent episode convenes New Yorker political writers Jane Mayer, Susan Glasser, and Evan Osnos with journalist and historian Garrett Graff, to analyze the transformation of U.S. immigration enforcement agencies—ICE and Border Patrol—into what is described as a paramilitary force. Sparked by recent events in Minneapolis, where federal agents killed a second American citizen within three weeks, the conversation explores how post-9/11 security priorities, politicized mandates, and failed oversight culminated in the current climate of militarized federal crackdowns, civil unrest, and radical redefinitions of government force.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. A Threshold Moment in American Democracy

• The episode opens with the arrest of Don Lemon, a journalist, by federal agents—a moment seen as the criminalization of journalism.
  • “The idea of federal agents arresting a journalist is one of those threshold moments … I think about China describing how tyranny arrives … At first, your eyes adjust. It’s like twilight. Suddenly, that dynamic seems like how I have to think about this country.” — Susan Glasser, [00:28]
• The hosts express alarm: the deployment of ICE and Border Patrol in Minneapolis is seen as federal violence against citizens, a break from historical precedent.

2. Origins and Militarization of ICE & Border Patrol

• Garrett Graff provides a historical framework: Before 9/11, immigration enforcement (INS) was a small, poorly funded arm under the Justice Department. Post-9/11, the creation of the Department of Homeland Security turbocharged the ranks and resources of ICE and CBP, bringing rapid expansion, lower hiring standards, and endemic corruption.

  • “We reimagined immigration as part of Homeland Security. Then we turbocharged CBP ... doubled the size of the Border Patrol … They cut training standards, they cut background checks … This created huge management and corruption problems that CBP still struggles with today, 20 years after this hiring surge began.” — Garrett Graff, [10:42]

• Jane Mayer highlights a striking stat from Graff’s research:

  • “In 2018, there was an agent arrested every 36 hours, which is either equal to or more than the crime rate among undocumented immigrants.” — Jane Mayer, [13:51]

3. Policy Shifts to Quotas and Aggression

• Under Trump, with Stephen Miller setting new ambitions, ICE shifted from targeting “the worst of the worst” to meeting aggressive, arbitrary arrest quotas.
  • “Last spring, Stephen Miller sets the goal of 1 million deportations a year. The instant they changed that is the instant we began to see these incredibly aggressive tactics on America’s streets begin to play out." — Garrett Graff, [14:32]
• This shift has directly led to the militarized presence and violence seen in Minneapolis and elsewhere, targeting even American citizens and protestors.

4. Why ICE Is Not a Police Force – And the Dangers Thereof

• Border Patrol and ICE agents are not trained as police, nor in basic civil liberties or crowd control. Their traditional mindset is adversarial—unlike community police, nearly every interaction is assumed hostile.
  • “ICE and CBP are not police. They operate in incredibly narrow lanes around border security and immigration enforcement. They’re not trained in First Amendment freedoms, civil rights, civil liberties, or de-escalation. The mentality they bring is fundamentally different.” — Garrett Graff, [19:22]
• The expansion into American cities is described as unprecedented and dangerous:
  • “We should be as shocked to see Border Patrol rolling through American cities as if armored SUVs of the Coast Guard started driving through suburban cul de sacs tossing tear gas.” — Garrett Graff, [21:34]

5. Limits of Resistance and the Power of Protest

• Protests and court orders have hampered Trump’s ability to deploy federal agents everywhere—deployments have been limited geographically, and are increasingly unsustainable.
  • “Deployments are being driven out by court orders ... I think there’s this liberal fantasy about outright conflict, but our system isn’t set up for that. The real playbook is organized citizen resistance, legal action, and shining a press spotlight.” — Garrett Graff, [24:51]
• concern grows about what happens if the national spotlight fades, given the increased funding for ICE and massive buildout of new detention facilities.
  • “These civil detention facilities are being built almost with the express purpose of becoming concentration camps.” — Garrett Graff, [31:06]

6. Are We Already Living in Fascism?

• Graff and Glasser discuss the absence of a “bright line” dividing democracy from autocracy:

  • “There is no light switch that flips. It happens in little ways, in unequal ways, to different populations. If an American reporter described another country’s ICE, they’d call it a paramilitary force loyal to the regime.” — Garrett Graff, [31:59]

• Glasser, referencing historic Russian crackdowns, notes that America’s exceptionalism blinds citizens to the incremental abandonment of rule of law and civil liberties.

7. Media, Narratives, and the Fragility of Freedom

• The Trump administration is intensely aware of narrative and tries to manage news cycles around ICE actions.
  • “Donald Trump’s deployments of CBP and ICE are actually incredibly limited … but the amount of force needed is increasing, and residents are resisting at a scale that’s unsustainable for ICE.” — Garrett Graff, [24:51]
• Judge William Young’s ruling on behalf of protestors’ rights is quoted:
  • “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by way of inheritance. It must be fought for and defended in every generation.” — Judge William Young (quoted by Graff), [36:11]

8. Heroism of Ordinary Americans

• The resistance in Minneapolis is compared to the civil rights era and historical moments such as Kent State.
  • “History remembers not the immediate reaction, but the horror and bravery of that young woman. Over time, it was the protesters who were right and the abuse of state power that was wrong.” — Susan Glasser, [47:33]
• The story of “the woman in pink,” who filmed the Alex Preddy shooting despite danger, exemplifies grassroots heroism.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the “Twilight” Before Tyranny:
  “Tyranny doesn’t arrive in an instant. At first, your eyes adjust. It’s sort of like twilight.” — Susan Glasser, [00:28]

• On ICE Becoming Paramilitary:
  “What we’re seeing in Minneapolis is like the black mirror version of how federal forces have been used in the past, where agents are coming to do the violence, not protect against violence.” — Garrett Graff, [07:22]

• On Quotas Driving Brutality:
  “All the prosecutorial discretion goes out the window when you’re trying to make quotas.” — Garrett Graff, [14:32]

• On the Danger of New Detention Facilities:
  “These civil detention facilities are being built almost with the express purpose of becoming concentration camps.” — Garrett Graff, [31:06]

• On the Nature of Fascism:
  “There’s no bright line between democracy and autocracy. It’s a spectrum. Not all the country will experience that switch at the same moment or in the same way.” — Garrett Graff, [31:59]

• On Freedom’s Fragility:
  “Freedom is a fragile thing and it’s never more than one generation away from extinction.” — Judge William Young, quoted by Garrett Graff, [36:11]

Key Timestamps

• 00:28: Arrest of Don Lemon seen as criminalization of journalism; “threshold moment”
• 07:22: Garrett Graff explains how Minneapolis represents a new, dangerous use of federal force
• 10:42: Transformation and expansion of ICE and CBP post-9/11
• 13:51: High crime rates and poor vetting in Border Patrol history
• 14:32: Miller’s 1 million deportations quota and consequences
• 19:22: ICE & Border Patrol are not police, lack essential training
• 24:51: Limited effectiveness and resistance to Trump’s federal deployments
• 31:06: Buildout of new detention facilities deemed “concentration camps”
• 31:59: Discussion of American exceptionalism and fascism’s spectrum
• 36:11: Quoting Judge William Young on defending freedom
• 47:33: Reflection on Minneapolis heroism, parallels to Kent State

Tone and Language

The conversation balances urgency, intellectual rigor, and personal testimony, with dire warnings leavened by admiration for civic resistance and reminders of historical precedent. The hosts raise alarms about “threshold moments,” fascism’s “spectrum,” and the “impunity” gripping law enforcement, yet conclude with hope and calls to witness, resist, and remember heroism in dark times.

Summary Takeaways

• The deployment of ICE and CBP in American cities marks a fundamental departure from traditional uses of federal force.
• The paramilitarization of these agencies is rooted in post-9/11 policies and the rapid expansion—and weakening—of hiring and oversight.
• Today’s tactics and structures are not solely creations of Trump, but his administration’s escalation exposes the underlying rot and danger.
• Mass protests, media exposure, and legal challenges are proving resilient tools of resistance, though the Trump administration’s resources for enforcement continue to grow.
• The erosion of civil liberties and the “twilight” before tyranny are already present; Americans may not recognize they are living in an authoritarian moment until it is too late.
• The bravery of ordinary citizens—filming, protesting, demanding justice—is held up as the spark that can change history, provided the press and public stay vigilant.

For listeners wanting a primer on how a bureaucracy becomes a paramilitary force—and why Minneapolis is a warning to the whole country—this episode delivers urgent lessons in American democracy’s fragility and the need for resistance, literally hour by hour.