This ICE Hell Must Stop Now (And You Don’t Need Washington To Do It)

If Democrats won’t use these weapons, they’re choosing the abuse.

This ICE Hell Must Stop Now (And You Don’t Need Washington To Do It)

If Democratic leadership won’t use these weapons, they’re choosing the abuse.

The Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter #736: Friday, January 16th, 2026.

Author’s note:
Consider this an update to my “Go full scorched earth with every tool you have” memo to Democratic leadership from a few months back. It probably won’t shock you that most of those very real…very available legal tools were never used…and nowhere to be found in the strategy they actually rolled out.

Nonetheless, I offer the following…since I don’t really see many in elected positions presenting a comprehensive plan…after they’ve already implemented it.

Let’s dig in!

Let me tell you the ugliest truth in American politics:

When the other side controls Washington, “oversight” becomes a cosplay outfit. Hearings become theater. Letters become confetti. And the machine…keeps grinding.

So…if Democratic leaders want a real “THIS MUST STOP NOW!” strategy…one that does not require a single Republican vote…a single GOP committee chair…or a friendly DOJ…then they have to stop begging for permission from Congress… and start using the weapons that still work.

Because there are weapons that still work.

And…if they actually used them…like adults who understand power…federal agencies would suddenly discover religion…cameras would suddenly start “malfunctioning” less…and the PR department would suddenly…STOP getting ahead of the facts.

We’ll use the killing of Renee Nicole Good as the current…blood-on-the-sidewalk example…because it has all the signature ingredients: disputed narratives…video questions…conflicting claims…and an escalating federal posture.

DHS has publicly claimed the ICE officer acted in self-defense, alleging Good tried to run over officers….while local officials and reporting have highlighted disputes about what the video shows…and what happened in the seconds that matter.

Emergency and media reports say she suffered multiple gunshot wounds.

And Minnesota’s BCA has said federal authorities restricted access to evidence, prompting the BCA to withdraw…meaning: Washington is not only “investigating,” it’s controlling the investigation.

That is exactly why relying on Washington is a sucker’s game.

So here’s the no-Republicans-required playbook.

WEAPON #1: STATE CRIMINAL PROCESS (The Only Thing They Respect)

If you want to change behavior, you need risk…real risk.

That means state prosecutors and a state-level criminal process…because Washington can spin and stall all G’dman day…but a state case drags facts into court…where lies have consequences.

What Dem state leaders can do:

• Push for a state-level criminal investigation into any potentially unlawful use of force…evidence tampering…false statements…or obstruction…based on what actually happened…not what DHS “announced.”

• Appoint a special prosecutor if there’s even a whiff of conflict…political pressure…or “we’ll handle it internally.”

• Use state court tools (where available): grand jury subpoenas…compelled testimony…warrants for locally-held evidence.

Will the federal government scream “Supremacy Clause” and try to block? Of course. That’s the point.

You’re not doing this because it’s easy. You’re doing it…because it forces friction…and friction produces truth.

WEAPON #2: EVIDENCE LOCKDOWN (Stop the Narrative Laundering)

If you’ve been watching politics for longer than a week, you know the pattern:

1. An incident happens

2. The agency releases a statement that just-so-happens to justify everything

3. Footage “is being reviewed”

4. Key angles are missing

5. Everyone moves on

So the immediate move is not “a statement.” The immediate move is evidence preservation with teeth.

What to do (FAST):

• Emergency preservation demands for all video: body cams…dash cams… surveillance…street cams…nearby businesses…private security.

• Preservation demands for radio traffic…dispatch logs…CAD logs…after-action drafts…internal comms…and the “who wrote what, when” paper trail.

• If federal agencies restrict access (as Minnesota BCA says happened), you shift to third-party sources and civil court preservation orders.

Because here’s the dirty secret:

The best evidence is often not “the government’s.” It’s the CVS camera…the apartment building camera…the traffic camera…the neighbor’s Ring…the bystander’s phone.

Get it. Preserve it. Freeze it. NOW.

WEAPON #3: CIVIL LITIGATION (Courts Can Force What Congress Can’t)

When Congress is neutered, judges still exist.

Civil litigation…wrongful death…constitutional claims…tort claims where applicable…turns the whole thing into an evidence and testimony problem….not a PR problem.

And the magic word is: discovery.

Discovery means:

• document production fights

• depositions under oath

• preservation obligations

• sanctions for missing evidence

• judicial orders

In other words: accountability machinery.

Reporting already indicates the Good family is pursuing legal avenues, and that’s exactly where the pressure becomes structured and relentless.

If Dem leaders are serious, they don’t just “stand with the family.” They help the family win the information war:

• connect resources

• elevate counsel’s evidence requests

• demand preservation publicly

• treat it like the urgent civic crisis it is

Because sworn testimony beats cable-news spin every day of the week.

WEAPON #4: STATE + CITY “OPERATING-ENVIRONMENT” WARFARE

Here’s something Washington doesn’t want you thinking about:

Federal operations often rely on local scaffolding.

Facilities. Access. Cooperation. Coordination. Task force participation. Local intel. Local logistics.

So even if you can’t “order ICE to stop,” you can make it much harder for federal operations to happen smoothly…quietly…and unaccountably.

What Dem mayors/governors can do (within state law):

• Restrict use of city/state property for staging, detention, or operations absent clear rules.

• Reduce or end joint participation (task forces, embedded liaisons) without strict MOUs.

• Require written operational agreements with minimum standards: identification, de-escalation protocols…medical response rules…and documentation.

• Create rapid-response documentation protocols through city attorneys / legal observers for federal actions occurring in public spaces.

The goal is simple: remove the “it just happened” fog.

Make every operation expensive…visible…documented…and litigable.

WEAPON #5: STATE LEGISLATION (Control the Enablers)

You can’t always legislate ICE directly.

But…you can legislate the world around them.

Statehouses can pass laws that:

• require any state/local officer participating in federal ops to use body-worn cameras

• mandate incident reporting whenever local resources are involved

• strengthen state civil rights enforcement authority

• expand whistleblower protections for state/local participants

• impose penalties for destruction/withholding of public-duty evidence tied to local participation

That’s how you shrink the “gray zone” where misconduct thrives.

WEAPON #6: ADMINISTRATIVE CONSEQUENCES (Careers Are Leverage)

Criminal cases can take time.

Civil cases can take time.

But administrative consequences can hit NOW…especially for any state/local participation.

Dem officials should be using:

• certification reviews (where applicable)

• policy compliance investigations

• discipline for violations of local use-of-force and reporting rules

• mandatory leave pending investigation for local actors involved

This matters because institutions fear two things:

• losing lawsuits

• losing careers

WEAPON #7: THE “SWEAR IT” STRATEGY (Kill the Spin With Oaths)

Public statements are cheap.

Under oath is expensive.

So if DHS officials are out there putting a narrative in the air while video and witness accounts are contested…

…the move is to force a narrow question:

Who is willing to swear to what…specifically…under penalty of perjury?

Civil depositions…sworn affidavits…state investigatory interviews: that’s where stories stop being cinematic and start being precise.

And precision…is where contradictions get exposed.

Here’s The Real Point

With Republicans controlling Washington…Democrats can still do real damage to impunity….IF they stop acting like Washington is the only arena that counts.

Washington is a megaphone.

But state criminal process + civil discovery + local operating controls are a vise.

And a vise doesn’t care who chairs a committee.

So the question isn’t “Is it possible?”

The question is:

Do they want accountability badly enough…to create pain for institutions that are used to getting away with it?

Because if they do…

They don’t need permission.

They need nerve.

Stop wasting your breath on Republicans like they’re persuadable.

They’re not.

They don’t care what you think because they don’t need your vote. You’re not a “constituent” to them…you’re a target…a punchline…a fundraising prop.

And…if you think outrage letters and polite pressure campaigns are going to move a Trump-aligned Republican leadership class…you’re confusing noise with leverage.

Here’s the plain truth: being the squeaky wheel only works when the mechanic wants your business.

If the wheel is on a car you don’t have the keys to…squeaking is just performance art.

So…aim your fire where it can actually create consequences: Democratic leadership.

The people who say they share your values. The people who campaign on “accountability,” “justice,” “rule of law,” and then…when it’s time to use the tools…suddenly develop a mysterious allergy to power.

Pressure the people who want to be seen as your allies… because they’re the only ones with something to lose: your money…your turnout…your volunteer hours…your credibility…your public support.

And…let’s be crystal clear about the stakes:

The other side doesn’t just “disagree.” They’ll shrug at cruelty…excuse it…and sometimes revel in it.

Not all of them say the quiet part out loud…but…the posture is the same: “So what?” That’s not an audience you persuade. That’s an opponent you outmaneuver.

So stop writing to the people who laugh at you.
Start cornering the people who claim they represent you…until they either use the power they have or admit they never intended to.

My job, as a citizen, isn’t to be your buddy once you’ve got my vote.

My job is to support you while you do what you were elected to do…and to be on you like stink on shit…when you don’t.

That’s not “being negative.” That’s not “being divisive.” That’s not “helping the other side.” No one who is serious thinks that way.

That is what a healthy democracy requires: voters who don’t go silent after Election Day.

Accountability isn’t rudeness. It’s maintenance.

And…it’s the most responsible…adult posture I can take: I’ll back you when you act… and I’ll apply pressure when you stall…wobble…or hide behind excuses. Every damn time.

A big part of how we ended up here is that too many people misunderstood their job in a democracy.

It’s not “full-time cheerleader.”

It’s auditor.

You watch what they do. You compare it to what they promised. You track results…not vibes. And then…you respond to what you find…every time.

#HoldFast

Back soon,

-Jack
Jack Hopkins