How the War on Terror Laid the Groundwork for ICE’s Brutal Expansion

The War on Terror didn’t just reshape foreign policy — it transformed immigration enforcement into a ruthless, militarized operation led by ICE. A sharp new report from the Costs of War Project at Brown University, authored by law professor Elizabeth Beavers, pulls back the curtain on how the 9/11 era’s legal and political frameworks empowered ICE’s current assault on immigrant communities.

ICE’s origins are inseparable from the post-9/11 crackdown. The FBI’s PENTTBOM investigation, launched right after the attacks, used immigration law as a blunt instrument to detain over 1,200 people, none of whom were convicted of terrorism-related crimes. Instead, people were swept up on minor visa technicalities. This conflation of immigration enforcement and counterterrorism set the tone for ICE’s aggressive tactics today.

The report also highlights how the Trump administration weaponized vague definitions of “terrorism” to expand Foreign Terrorist Organization lists, including Venezuelan gangs and military forces. These designations justify harsh crackdowns and surveillance, normalizing extreme measures against immigrant and marginalized communities under the guise of national security.

The ties between ICE and War on Terror contractors reveal a disturbing continuity. For instance, ICE’s contract with MVM, a security firm with a history of protecting CIA operatives in Iraq, now targets undocumented children — a chilling example of the militarized, secretive methods that have become standard in immigration enforcement.

Beavers concludes that the Trump administration’s immigration policies amount to ethnic cleansing rather than “routine enforcement.” We’d add that ICE’s violent DNA runs deeper than the post-9/11 era, but it was the War on Terror that forged ICE into the domestic secret police it is today.

This report is a must-read for anyone tracking the ongoing crisis of immigration enforcement and the erosion of civil rights. The War on Terror’s legacy is alive and well — and it’s devastating immigrant communities across the country. Read the full analysis from the Costs of War Project to understand how these dangerous policies took root and continue to harm millions.