Stay Trucha: Because Shit is Weird Zine #1 July 2025

With the recent actions by the powers that be, a large amount of fear and panic has spread throughout our communities. As you might expect, misinfo has begun to perpetuate. Key developments follow.

January 6th Vigilantes & ICE Impersonators: Texas plates on unmarked cars? Fake ICE agents? Reports link these to January 6th insurrectionists and conspiracy theories that the FBI staged the Capitol riot. Under CA law (PC §830.10), real cops must display ID. What's more, real ICE agents have DHS badges: demand to see theirs! Sites like WatchTheWatchers.net expose badge details, but if they refuse, photograph faces and license plates. Groups like El Monte News and @elmontememes (on IG) are reporting on this.

ICE's 3,000 Daily Arrest Quota: Mechanics and Consequences
The Trump administration has mandated Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to achieve 3,000 daily arrests, a tripling of previous targets, under directives from Stephen Miller and Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem. This quota system has shifted enforcement from targeted operations against violent criminals to mass arrests at easily accessible locations like Home Depot parking lots, courthouses, and worksites.

ICE officers also report abandoning complex investigations of gangs or felons to meet numerical goals, as processing low-risk individuals requires fewer resources. As an example, long-term resident Ximena Arias Cristobal, a Georgia college student, was detained after a traffic stop. She was held in shackles despite no criminal record.

Internal data reveals that less than 10% of those detained since October 2024 had convictions for serious crimes (e.g., assault, murder), while over 75% had only immigration or traffic violations. The policy has also diverted FBI, DEA, and ATF agents from core public safety duties to assist in immigration operations.

The $1,000 "Self-Deportation" Offer: Coercion and Empty Promises

In tandem with raids, the administration introduced a program offering $1,000 and a plane ticket to undocumented immigrants who "self-deport" via the CBP Home app. The offer functions as coercion, with DHS explicitly stating enrollees would be "deprioritized" for arrest, implying that non-participants face heightened risks of being raided.

DHS framed this as a "dignified" cost-saving measure (contrasted with forced removals that cost $17,121 per person), but only one individual had utilized it by May 2025. Trump’s claim that participants could later "return legally if they’re good people" is misleading: immigration experts warn that accepting this offer voids existing legal claims and triggers permanent reentry bans.

Legal and Ethical Violations: Due Process Erosion

Enforcement tactics increasingly violate constitutional safeguards: Immigrants have been arrested at courthouses for required hearings. For instance, Emerson Colindres, a Honduran high school graduate with a visa in progress, was arrested during a routine appointment in spite of his years of compliance. This undermines the judicial process.

What's more, Los Angeles saw Marines and the National Guard deployed against protests, a move later ruled illegal by courts. These actions parallel failed policing models like stop-and-frisk, disproportionately targeting Latino communities. The combination of these policies undermines the promises made by the administration and serves only to create establishment context for undemocratic and violent police behavior.

Economic and Social Fallout: Labor Shortages and Community Trauma

"If you’re brown in America, you have to prove your status"

Industries reliant on immigrant labor face crippling disruptions. Construction stands to lose between 700,000 and 1 million workers, threatening infrastructure projects and worsening the U.S.'s deficit of 4.5 million homes. What's more, the agriculture and hospitality sectors report overnight workforce collapses. Beyond economics, the policy instills widespread fear: U.S. citizens have begun carrying passports to avoid mistaken detention. Additionally, attendance has plummeted at schools and workplaces amid rumors of ICE surveillance.

Systemic Harms and Resistance

The 3,000-arrest quota prioritizes volume over public safety, risking $150 billion in spending under Trump’s proposed bill while destabilizing communities and economies. Legal challenges have halted policies like birthright citizenship revocation, and public opposition grows: most (75%) of US voters acknowledge immigrants fill essential jobs. Affected individuals should document encounters by taking note of badge numbers and license plates, as well as contacting legal aid groups like the National Immigrant Justice Center (312-660-1370) or the ACLU.