The perception of the DOJ as a political tool is no longer a one-sided complaint. Republicans cite prosecutions of figures like Steve Bannon, while Democrats point to Trump's direct influence on indictments. This shared belief from both sides of the aisle is causing a complete erosion of the institution's credibility as an independent body.

A significant ideological inconsistency exists where political figures on the right fiercely condemn perceived federal overreach like the "Twitter files"—requests to remove content—while simultaneously defending aggressive, violent federal actions by agencies like ICE. This reveals a partisan, rather than principled, opposition to government power.

The public focus of ICE is immigration, but its aggressive tactics and fascist-style imagery are primarily designed to intimidate American citizens. The goal is to cow the broader population into submission and discourage them from standing up to state power, transforming the agency into a tool of domestic political control.

Governor Pritzker reveals that in a case against ICE, a federal judge mandated agent body cameras after questioning the agency's credibility. The judge specifically cited citizen-shot videos as evidence that contradicted official reports, showing crowdsourced footage is now admissible and influential evidence in federal court.

The check on authoritarian power doesn't require a majority opposition. In the U.S. Senate, a small faction of just 20 Republicans could privately threaten to join Democrats on an impeachment vote, effectively forcing the administration to reverse course. Their inaction signals political cowardice.

Even citizens who support a policy's goal, like immigration enforcement, can be alienated by the methods. The image of masked, unaccountable agents taps into a fundamental, cross-partisan American cultural fear of tyranny, overriding specific policy alignment.

Polling data reveals a critical nuance in public perception. Two-thirds of Democrats and a majority of independents interpret the "Abolish ICE" slogan not as eliminating immigration enforcement, but as a demand to replace the agency with a system aligned with American values and due process, a distinction often lost in political attacks.

The strategy is to split the main spending bill into smaller "minibuses," allowing Democrats to block funding specifically for the Department of Homeland Security. This targeted approach aims to force accountability on ICE while minimizing widespread disruption to other essential federal services, unlike a full government shutdown.

The public is becoming desensitized to government behaviors, such as ICE's excessive force, that should be universally unacceptable. This "new normal" creates a dangerous precedent where nonpartisan revulsion is replaced by partisan justification, eroding democratic standards for everyone.