In this episode of The Rule of Law Brief, Nathan Charles examines the chilling historical parallels between Nazi Germany’s SA — the Brownshirts — and the modern evolution of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Directorate.
Both movements, he argues, have grown their ranks by appealing to toxic masculinity — promising disaffected men a sense of belonging, purpose, and “strength” through domination and obedience.
Charles acknowledges ICE ERO’s legitimate and professional origins in the post-9/11 era but warns that the modern iteration has traded integrity for ideology. Drawing from historical analysis and his experience as a former federal prosecutor and national security official, he explains how both fascist and MAGA movements manipulate masculine insecurity to turn lawful institutions into political enforcement arms.
Themes explored:
* The Brownshirts’ recruitment of young men through hyper-masculine identity and nationalism.
* How Trump and the Republican Party deploy identical rhetoric against immigrants and dissidents.
* The moral corrosion of ICE’s modern culture and its echoes of 1930s Germany.
* Why true strength — in democracy and in law — comes from restraint, not aggression.
Subscribe to The Rule of Law Brief for sharp, fearless commentary at the intersection of democracy, national security, and human rights — from a former federal prosecutor who’s seen how the rule of law breaks when we stop defending it.
