A Brief History of ICE | Crooked Media
New to Friends of the Pod: Open Tabs, a behind-the-scenes Pod Save America newsletter. Subscribe now New to Friends of the Pod: Open Tabs, a behind-the-scenes Pod Save America newsletter
January 18, 2026
What A Day
A Brief History of ICE

In This Episode

Immigration and Customs Enforcement isn’t some storied government agency from the 19th century. ICE was invented back in 2003 — but now it has a multi-billion-dollar budget and many officers who are undertrained at best. So, how did we get here? To find out, we spoke to Garrett Graff. He’s a historian and journalist who has covered federal law enforcement for 20 years.
And in headlines, President Donald Trump threatens fresh tariffs on America’s NATO allies over Greenland, the Pentagon ordered 1,500 National Guard troops to prepare for possible deployment to Minnesota, and a seat on Trump’s Board of Peace reportedly has a $1 billion price tag.
Show Notes:

Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/