this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2026
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[–] Th4tGuyII@fedia.io 26 points 1 hour ago (5 children)

So why did ICE detain her, and keep her locked up for so long? A possible answer began to emerge over the weeks she was incarcerated. As Karen got to know the guards at the Northwest ICE Processing Center where she was held, she kept hearing the same thing from them: that ICE officers are paid a bonus every time they detain someone. “Individual ICE agents get money per head that they detain – the guards told me that,” Karen says.

It’s no secret that the Trump administration has been pouring money into ICE. Its annual budget – $6bn a decade ago – is now $85bn; ICE is now the highest -funded law enforcement agency in the US. Since last August, new recruits can expect to receive a signing-on bonus of up to $50,000. Karen’s experience has left her convinced that ICE agents are being given even more incentives – to arrest and detain anyone they possibly can, even blameless tourists who have all the paperwork they need to be in the US.

Knew they had sign-up bonuses, but had no idea that ICE agents were also given a bonus for locking people up - that's an absolutely perverse incentive for a job that should be as objective as possible.

No wonder innocent people are getting dragged off to detention centres (or worse), it literally pays for them to shoot now and ask questions later.

Also, the US government has $80 billion to throw at bloodthirsty hounds, but had to send DOGE to scrounge through various agencies to find a few billion? Something doesn't quite add up there, almost like the incentive wasn't finding money.

[–] GreenShimada@lemmy.world 2 points 16 minutes ago

JFC, this makes total sense. They love touting arrest numbers, not deportation numbers. This is how they're able to make it happen.

[–] Dragomus@lemmy.world 3 points 58 minutes ago

Trump needs his personal army, separated from the justice and military apparatus, if he pays ice to satisfaction he has the material and manpower to fight off a growing rebellion...

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 4 points 1 hour ago

Their actual job is to instill fear.

[–] madjo@piefed.social 4 points 1 hour ago

DOGE was to cut agencies tasked with enforcing regulations. Specifically, but not limited to agencies that hurt Elon's bottom line.

[–] itisileclerk@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

It's not just Trump. Americans in general will do anything for money.

[–] Zagorath@aussie.zone 26 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

So when are countries like the UK (and my own Australia) going to update official government travel advice to warn against travel to America?

[–] pHr34kY@lemmy.world 18 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 1 hour ago) (1 children)
[–] Th4tGuyII@fedia.io 16 points 1 hour ago

That's gotta be a joke right?

The US Government is quite literally sending bloodthirsty hounds against their own people, and dragging innocent tourists off to detention centres for no reason, yet the UK is rated worse due to the couple of terror attacks we've had over the last year??

I think I know where I'd rather take my chances as a tourist. Yikes.

[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 2 points 42 minutes ago

They knew what's going on in US and still tried to cross the border with invalid visa (she had a valid visa but her husband's expired). There's a word for that: idiots.

[–] RejZoR@lemmy.ml 11 points 1 hour ago

Currently, I wouldn't want to go to USA even if you pay me. I literally put USA on same shit list as countries with prevalent terrorism and dictatorship that I'd never visit. Like Russia. Imagine being a western country and on that shit list...

[–] vpol@feddit.uk 43 points 2 hours ago (2 children)

You have to be clinically insane to go to the US now.

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 8 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

"I was aware", she says. What's the definition of insanity again?

[–] WhatAmLemmy@lemmy.world 9 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

You don't understand. She just never thought it would impact her personally. Get it?

[–] victorz@lemmy.world 2 points 41 minutes ago
[–] turboSnail@piefed.europe.pub -4 points 1 hour ago (2 children)

Some people also visit North Korea. Is that insane too?

[–] vpol@feddit.uk 10 points 1 hour ago
[–] TrickDacy@lemmy.world 6 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

Are you suggesting it isn't....???

[–] turboSnail@piefed.europe.pub 0 points 9 minutes ago

I’m just thinking that people with extreme tastes might want to visit USA exactly because there’s a good chance you’ll never return.

[–] switcheroo@lemmy.world 2 points 59 minutes ago

Idk who needs to here it but Do Not Come Here. For your own good, cancel plans if you had them. If you have a work event, tell them you feel unsafe (because you sure af will be if you come to a fascist country).

It is not safe.

[–] Kowowow@lemmy.ca 29 points 2 hours ago

man out of all that's wrong with this I couldn't imagine how upset I'd be that I'd have wasted vacation time for this, it wouldn't be the biggest problem but it would be in the back of my head constantly like "wow sure is nice that I took time off work to be grabbed by americia's new slave catchers"

[–] Witchfire@lemmy.world -4 points 2 hours ago* (last edited 2 hours ago) (1 children)

she knew that international travellers were being locked up in immigration detention centres in the US. “I was aware,” she nods. “But I never thought it would have any impact on my holiday.”

“I am not a dangerous criminal. I didn’t enter the country illegally and I had everything I needed to be there.”

Fuck the Trump administration, but also fuck this privileged bitch in particular

[–] NocturnalEngineer@lemmy.world 19 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

What makes her a privileged bitch? She had a visa, she entered the country legally. In any other non-fascist country this wouldn't have happened.

[–] Don_alForno@feddit.org 2 points 1 hour ago

She was aware it happened to others and despite evidence to the contrary just bought the US government's narrative that those all were illegals and criminals.

[–] CallMeM@lemmy.ml -5 points 3 hours ago (1 children)
[–] Draegur@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 hours ago

yea man as much as i hate victim blaming i really want people to NOT dress themselves in a toga stitched together out of raw meat before they leap down into the pit of starving hyenas >.>

i wouldn't be so mean as to call that attempted tourist stupid but i would sympathetically tell them "that's rough buddy" before gesturing in their direction to address others with "please don't do what they did."