Abolish ICE

Oct 8, 2025

Zerlina Maxwell, a SiriusXM host and author focused on race and democracy, joins the discussion on the rise of authoritarianism in America. She highlights grassroots organizing as vital in combating the current political climate and emphasizes the importance of accountability for ICE actions. The conversation delves into the role of social media in spreading disinformation and the necessity of engaging politically apathetic individuals. Zerlina also reflects on the historical sacrifices needed to protect democracy and warns against the dangers of complacency.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Moral Clarity Comes From Lived Experience

White liberal commentators often lack moral clarity when confronting authoritarianism rooted in racial history.
Trust should shift toward Black, brown, and marginalized voices who lived this reality long before white America noticed.

ANECDOTE

Salon Processing After ICE Raid

Andrea describes a salon where participants processed grief and rage after a midnight ICE raid in Chicago.
She compares the visceral shock to feelings experienced during the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

ADVICE

Prepare, Register, And Act Locally

Prepare now and learn how to respond if ICE or federal agents show up in your community.
Join phonebanks, register to vote, and attend local protests to reduce panic and save lives.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

America has long been on a path toward authoritarianism, as Gaslit Nation warned for years. We also warned the only way out is accountability: abolish ICE and prosecute their crimes against humanity to the fullest extent of international law.

In this week's Gaslit Nation, we examine the normalcy bias that many in white America, especially within the mainstream media, cling to. We also celebrate the defiant voices on the frontlines in MAGA-besieged cities like Portland and Chicago, who are calling this what it is: fascism. Joining us to discuss how to rebuild American democracy, and make it truly democratic this time, is Zerlina Maxwell, host of Mornings with Zerlina on SiriusXM's Progress Channel and author of The End of White Politics: How to Heal Our Liberal Divide. Find her weekday mornings 7am to 9am ET on SiriusXM Progresss, channel 127.

As always, we offer solutions and ways to stay grounded amid the terrorism sh*tshow and chaos deliberately engineered to confuse and demoralize us. The way we win is by staying focused and committed to doing whatever we can–wherever we are, with whatever we have–to plant seeds of hope and change. No act is too small.

If you want to make a difference, join us for the Gaslit Nation x Sister District Halloween Phonebank on October 22 at 6pm ET. We'll be calling voters in must-win Virginia races, some of which could be decided by just a handful of votes. Yes, your time and voice still matter. Stephen Miller doesn't want you to go to our phonebank–so be sure to RSVP here.

Thank you to everyone who joined the Gaslit Nation Salon on Monday at 4pm ET. Join us again this coming Monday for a special session featuring our friends at the Media and Democracy Project, as we discuss how to push back against mainstream media capitulation.

largest mass-murder of Jewish life since the Holocaust. Our hearts are with those impacted by that day and Netanyahu's genocidal war to cling to power that followed. For an important discussion for how to build peace, listen to our interview with the Jewish and Palestinian led Alliance for Middle East Peace from December 2024.

Want Gaslit Nation ad-free? Join our community of listeners for bonus shows, exclusive Q&A sessions, group chats, invites to live events like our Monday political salons at 4pm ET over Zoom, and more! Sign up at Patreon.com/Gaslit!

Show Notes:

RSVP to the Gaslit Nation Phonebank w/Sister for Virginia! https://www.mobilize.us/sisterdistrict/event/847185/

'Impossible' for Trump to escape Epstein files being exposed | John Bolton https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lvWbM2g31A

The End of White Politics: How to Heal Our Liberal Divide by Zerlina Maxwell https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/zerlina-maxwell/the-end-of-white-politics/9780306873591/

"There's a baby!" ICE agents stop Alamosa family at gunpoint, smash car window Immigration arrest last week in southern Colorado follows national trend of escalating force from ICE agents https://coloradosun.com/2025/10/01/ice-alamosa-arrest-gunpoint-infant/

The Fading of the Red, White, and Blue by Zach Bryan: https://www.instagram.com/p/DPWkQ4CEcNp/

Country Music Star Zach Bryan Turns Political With Anti-ICE Ballad https://time.com/7323600/zach-bryan-ice-song-trump/

Opening clip https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AbqZxPsP91I featuring: https://www.tiktok.com/@of_earth.and_seed

Trump's NSPM-7 Labels Common Beliefs As Terrorism "Indicators" https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/trumps-nspm-7-labels-common-beliefs

EVENTS AT GASLIT NATION:

October 27 4pm ET – Deaf Republic by Ilya Kaminsky + Total Resistance by H. Von Dach – Poetry and guerrilla strategy: tools for survival and defiance.
Minnesota Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.
Vermont Signal group for Gaslit Nation listeners in the state to find each other, available on Patreon.
Arizona-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to connect, available on Patreon.
Indiana-based listeners launched a Signal group for others in the state to join, available on Patreon.
Florida-based listeners are going strong meeting in person. Be sure to join their Signal group, available on Patreon.
Have you taken Gaslit Nation's HyperNormalization Survey Yet?
Gaslit Nation Salons take place Mondays 4pm ET over Zoom and the first ~40 minutes are recorded and shared on Patreon.com/Gaslit for our community.