Weathering the cold, ICE, and political violence in the USA: psychological perspective
(This post was originally published on substack on February 14th, 2026)
Warm greetings from an icy deep winter here in Brooklyn, New York.
As I write this, the National Weather Service has warned of “extreme cold,” “arctic air,” and that it is “colder than Antarctica” here in New York and throughout the Northeastern USA. The entire Eastern Seaboard is withstanding unseasonably chilly temperatures and weather conditions. Simultaneously, we are experiencing an accelerated occupation of Democratic-leaning cities by federal troops, and explosive increases in political violence committed by an armed and malignant force of the U.S. government, aptly named ICE aka Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This poorly trained, haphazardly recruited and roughly assembled paramilitary-like militia has more than doubled in the past year, with the DHS reporting on January 3rd, 2026 that ICE has grown from approximately 10,000 to now 22,000 agents since Trump’s return to office. ICE differs from local police in that they do not report to mayors, governors and counties, but rather only to the federal government. ICE is a federal agency where the president has a predominant influence. It is distinct from the National Guard, who are a military agency that traditionally reports to governors.
This expanded capacity of ICE has intensified the campaign to capture, detain, torment and deport “suspected” immigrants, using tactics that are illegal, inhumane and racist, without regard for due process and pending legal processes like asylum. ICE as an organization is a tangible manifestation of a political regime that is rooted in fascism, oligarchy, grandiosity, white supremacy, misogyny and LGBTQ+ hatred and phobia.
ICE and the Killings in Minneapolis
ICE is a sub-organization of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which formed in response to the terror and trauma of the events of 9/11. In our collective distress, our political institutions were fortified with a renewed commitment to waging war, driven by fear and a survival mentality.
The past few weeks in the USA have been horrific and illuminating, as more than half of us who didn’t vote for this atrocious President, along with most of the world, are watching on in horror. Daddy USA is not well.
On January 7th, 2026 in Minneapolis, in the context of federal troops and ICE being deployed for the purpose of political intimidation and mass deportation, Renee Good, a White woman, mother, member of the LGBTQ+ community, and peaceful demonstrator was participating in protests against ICE’s kidnapping and terror tactics. In a recorded video, the world could see that she was shot and killed in plain sight by an ICE officer.
On January 24th, 2026, ICE murdered another protestor in Minneapolis named Alex Preeti. He was a Veteran Affairs Nurse who was trying to assist a woman being mistreated by ICE.
The killing of these two White concerned citizens and what it symbolizes has served to galvanize more of the US populace to protest and resist ICE’s oppressive tactics. And if these events lead to more people protesting and resisting, that’s one silver lining that came from these tragedies.
Those who have been paying closer attention will have also heard the names and seen the faces of others who have been murdered by ICE such as Keith Porter Jr., 43-year-old Black man, and countless others who have died in ICE detention from medical neglect and homicide.
As reported by The Guardian on Jan 28th of this year, the names of those killed so far in 2026 include:
Luis Gustavo Núñez Cáceres
Geraldo Lunas Campos
Víctor Manuel Díaz
Parady La
Luis Beltrán Yáñez–Cruz
Heber Sánchez Domínguez
No doubt, a few weeks later, there will have been more murders of humans by homicide, abuse and neglect at the hands of the U.S. government.
Detention and Mobilization
Currently in Minneapolis, but also in Los Angeles, Portland, Chicago, NYC, and throughout the country, ICE has been mobilized to racially profile, terrorize and torment the general population of the USA, especially immigrants, people of color and LGBTQ+ people.
At the time of this writing, an estimated 73,000 people are in ICE detention, which is an 84% increase from January 2025. Approximately 6,000 of those detained are classified as family units or underage children.
Immigration Enforcement and Corporate Interests
Those whose service is advocating for racial, environmental and social justice are rightly stating that there’s nothing especially new about the current immigration enforcement practices that a large proportion of the public are now justly calling out as cruel, inhumane, anti-democratic, lawless and senseless.
Like other prisons in the US, ICE detention centers are funded by powerful corporate interests who profit from the incarceration systems. It is a cruel, inhumane, and malevolent system that needs to be dismantled for us to move forward as a country. It has felt positive and hopeful to see a unifying message on the Left that frames the current political regime as authoritarian, anti-democratic, white supremacist, misogynist, and anti-LGBTQ+. A few mega billionaires such as Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerburg, and others, are profiting off our socioeconomic, political and environmental crises. I am strongly in favor of organizing and implementing economic boycotts and other non-violent disruptions of companies and businesses that fund and are complicit with this political regime’s violent and oppressive tactics in the USA and abroad.
Polarization and Violence in the United States
Over the past several months, we’ve witnessed an intensification of a long process of polarization, extremism and disconnection in this country. From the current U.S. executive government, we’re bombarded by policies aimed at rolling back all political and legislative progress achieved over the past centuries in terms of gender, racial and LGBTQ+ equality and equity, disability justice, civil rights, democracy and social assistance.
There has been an estimated 30% increase in targeted political violence in the US over the past year. The biggest problem fueling every type of violence, of course, is access to guns, which we are reminded of every time we hear about another mass shooting of children and teachers at school.
Gaza, Israel, and U.S. Foreign Policy
It would be absurd to speak of the violence and trauma of these times without underscoring the two plus years of mass murder and genocide by the government and military of Israel, causing the death of more than 70,000 Palestinians in Gaza, a number that the Israeli government has recently accepted. These people were mostly civilians, many of them families and children. We’ve seen the videos online of families bombed and buried under rubble. Of babies and children suffering and starving in flooded tents, deprived of medical care, education and trapped in inhumane and perpetually traumatizing life situations.
It is abhorrent that the U.S. government has sanctioned and armed Israel’s genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. It is similarly disturbing that Israel continues to hold a special status in U.S. foreign policy, despite these atrocities and acting as an occupying force and apartheid state. This is a self-inflicted injury to our collective conscience, as we’ve been ineffective at compelling our government to end these atrocities and broker a true ceasefire.
I witnessed how the events and aftermath of 9/11 prompted many liberal Democrats, some among my own family and communities, to support neoconservative domestic and foreign policies. Such policies curtailed civil liberties and fostered Islamophobia and anti-Arab racial profiling and violence domestically; while mobilizing violence and wars abroad. The honorable intention of these measures was to protect the United States and Israel against Islamic terrorists with genocidal intent. We have all seen how these sentiments have been used to justify the continued occupation, apartheid and genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the other occupied territories. They have also been mobilized for political repression and violence against protesters and organizers in the USA who are outspoken against the genocide in Gaza.
A Psychological Perspective
It’s not my intention to offer a supreme or reductive explanation of why we have found ourselves in these terrible political times. What I hope to offer is a human and psychological perspective grounded in my expertise in clinical psychology, specifically attachment and relationships. In this and future posts, I offer some of my own emotional, cognitive and behavioral/action responses to these times.
It’s my understanding that among the higher purposes of the field of psychology is to identify, understand and communicate about thoughts, feelings, experiences, and behaviors that are common among humans, despite our diversity and differences of upbringing, culture and lived experiences.
Among our foundational similarities is that we are wired to need and be oriented towards feeling seen, understood and accepted by other people, both individually and on a collective level. We will go to extremes in attempts to secure a sense of purpose, acceptance and belonging.
What I have noticed in our society are problems that appear both between those who tend to vote Democratic and Republican, and within the so-called Left. I’m not yet familiar with what’s going on within the Right, but I imagine similar schisms are taking place there as well.
Collective Fragility and the Possibility of Coexistence
It’s my impression that cycles of disconnection, unprocessed trauma, hate and violence are woven throughout our society. In the various Left-leaning social and professional spaces I inhabit, I’ve noticed that political views are more polarized than in previous decades. Disagreements have become more regular, explosive and toxic, with people being quicker to dismiss, denigrate, and cut off and cancel those with different perspectives.
It feels like a fragility in our collective psyche, and a sign that something is amiss. I’m not sure why it’s happening, but I do sense a possibility of a path forward if we could ground and regulate ourselves in order to sit with discomfort when presented with a diversity of viewpoints. Pluralism is our reality in the US. We don’t all agree on many things, but we can hold onto the humanity of others if we practice doing so. I offer a few thoughts on how.
Disconnection and the Cycle of “Othering”
A common thread linking most armed conflict is the idea that one group of people is elevated above the other, fueled by a rageful and fearful perception that an outsider group is trying to destroy one’s way of life, dignity and resources. When people are entrenched in cycles of violence and war, dehumanization of the out group is felt to be necessary for self-defense and survival. This is what we see in Israel and Palestine, most other armed conflicts, and in the actions of ICE hunting down and detaining people in the name of “public safety”.
I confess that the terms “MAGA” and “ICE” evoke in me disgust, fear and the concept of emotionally disturbed, socioeconomically disaffected, socially isolated, shooter-video game playing, white supremacist loser men. However, this characterization is reductive, essentialist, and overlooks the myriad socioeconomic, cultural, religious and other factors that have converged to create and perpetuate the MAGA movement.
The demographic breakdown of those who elected Trump in 2024 paints a more complex picture than commonly portrayed stereotypes. According to the Pew Research Center , 55% of those who elected Trump in 2024 were men, while 46% were women. While White, non-Hispanic voters made up a large majority of Trump’s electorate (78%), 48% of Hispanic voters, 15% of Black voters, and 40% of Asian-American voters opted for this administration. Religious affiliation played a significant role in the election, with 79% of Trump voters identifying as Christian, compared with around 52% of those who voted for Kamala Harris. I mention this fact not to demean anyone who identifies as Christian, but rather to stress the diverse influences that have shaped the wretched political situation of today.
I want to be clear that I’m not an apologist for MAGA or ICE. I deeply wish that neither of these entities existed, and view the current administration’s predominate agenda as violent, hateful, corrupt and malignant. However, I hesitate to disdain and unreservedly dismiss those who make up the MAGA base as essentially malevolent and irredeemable people, because doing so is a misidentification of the real problems that plague us. Such debasing characterizations of our opponents undoubtedly play a role in fueling the hateful and violent policies and practices that are transpiring from this administration.
We can double down in contempt, disgust and “othering,” or we can try to see and understand what is happening and why. Violence, hatred and destruction is never going to end violence. We need to envision and implement more effective domestic and international peacekeeping and conflict navigation systems. We all have a role to play in de-escalating cycles of contempt, hatred, othering, violence and polarization in our own social and professional spheres, if we are to someday start to heal collectively. We must get to a place where a plurality of beliefs and opinions can co-exist in public discourse, without overly reactive or violent (physical and/or emotional) blowouts and ruptures taking place at every turn.
Framing, Invasion, and Splitting
I’ve heard the term “invasion” used by the Right and Left to describe what currently ails our political institutions and social fabric. The federal government through the DHS uses this term to instill a sense of emergency and danger posed by unregulated immigration. Many of us on the Left are commenting on what feels like an authoritarian and fascist takeover of the U.S. federal government.
The problem with this framing, though, is that it splits off opponents, labelling them as outsiders, intruders and “others,” when they are in fact living, breathing human beings who basically want to live and thrive. When we split people off like this, we lose sight of their and our own humanity.
As an observer of human psychology and relationships, I’m aware that the splitting off of people or groups of people into “good” and “bad” or “right” and “wrong” is a psychological defense mechanism. This tactic deflects away from looking at the roles we play in perpetuating the violent and oppressive systems that confine and constrain us as a collective.
Diagnosis and De-Escalation
It seems crucial that we not look outside the United States for someone or something to rescue us from the racism, gender-based inequality, violence, fascism, authoritarianism, and oligarchic forces embedded in our political and economic systems and social fabric.
If there is to be a de-escalation of political violence fueled by polarization and dehumanization, we must diagnose and treat what is truly ailing us as a society. Simultaneously, we need to envision and reconfigure our institutions towards the arcs of justice, equality, equity, inclusivity, safety, economic opportunity, and humanitarianism.
At the root of violence is disconnection, fear and unprocessed rage. More than any people who came before us, we are lost in our phones and disconnected from our bodies, breath and real-life communities. We live in a hyper digital age where we can drain our social and emotional batteries without even interacting with a real person.
Collective Resistance and Coalition Building
It’s an all hands-on-deck moment. It’s high time for each of us who care about the noble pursuits of liberty, civil rights, equality, justice, inclusivity and protecting our planet, to identify our lane and role in resisting and transforming the current political environment.
I feel some hope because resistance is taking place, and hopefully growing. I admire and participate with one such NYC based activist group, Rise and Resist because their protest message is clear and pretty much anyone left of right can get behind it. Messages like “Fuck Trump,” “Trump is the Emergency” and “No Trump. No KKK. No fascist USA.”
We need strong, clear and unifying messages among those who oppose the current regime. We are a plural society with diverging viewpoints on many issues, but there are higher values that many and hopefully more of us share. I am in favor of building broader coalitions where we don’t all agree on everything, but we can agree on some major things and take collective action.
Reconnecting in Real Life
On an individual and local level, we need to get back to interacting more with people in the real world. This means less time staring at screens and talking to AI. (Stay tuned for a future blog on how much I hate what’s going on with AI.)
In my own life, this is how I try to stay connected. I’m part of a gym for small group personal training called Lapine Fitness where I lift weights with real people and coaches. I make sure to see family, friends and colleagues in the real world. We eat meals, grab coffee, take walks, run errands and talk on the phone. We celebrate milestones and mourn losses. And sometimes we protest, call our government representatives, donate money and provide mutual aid, when we can. We invest time and energy into getting to know neighbors, and we all look out for each other in small and sometimes bigger ways.
Recently we witnessed a historical Super Bowl halftime show, where Bad Bunny performed a set in Spanish that was a celebration and affirmation of his Puerto Rican and American roots. His performance showcased and celebrated the diversity, joy, beauty and enduring spirit of the various peoples of the Americas, North, South and Central. Bad Bunny’s songs narrate and amplify the joy, strength, resilience, interconnectivity, and diversity of indigenous Americans, Latinx folks, and people of African descent who make up the Americas, while recognizing the historical and enduring pain and wounds from colonization, slavery and extreme economic and political inequality.
The Super Bowl party I attended was hosted by two Puerto Rican friends and neighbors who I’ve come to know through attending block parties and chatting with people on the street. The hosts wore Bad Bunny Bowl t-shirts custom made for the occasion. It was meaningful to gather together to eat, drink, laugh and of course dance to the much beloved Bad Bunny. Personally, I experienced a feeling of acceptance and belonging that has stayed with and energized me through the week.
Thanks for reading, and engaging with the realities of these times. I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences regarding these issues in the comments section.
Edited by Vicky Choy
Note: This essay was written without any assistance or use of AI. All of it’s substance and flaws are entirely human :-)
