Not Even Mad EP 34 | Ruy Teixeira and Jesse Adams
Jan 29, 2026
Jesse Adams, writer on politics and culture from The Ivy Exile, and Ruy Teixeira, political scientist and cofounder of The Liberal Patriot, spar over Minnesota ICE raids, whether enforcement is theater or policy failure, and the political fallout of killings. They also parse Trump’s Greenland remarks, NATO burden sharing, and the collapse of TV’s common culture.
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Interior Enforcement Drove The Political Crisis
- Interior immigration enforcement, not border closure, became the core political problem for the Biden era and drove Trump's 2024 traction.
- Ruy Teixeira argues aggressive interior tactics were predictable once Trump unleashed hardline elements and sanctuary-city conflicts intensified.
Frame Immigration Around Enforceability
- Don't reduce immigration debates to 'cruelty' vs 'compassion' because that obscures enforceability trade-offs.
- Ruy Teixeira urges framing policy around enforceable incentives and realistic enforcement regimes to preserve control.
Cruelty As Policy Theater
- Some degree of cruelty in immigration policy is politically unavoidable to create a credible deportation threat.
- Jesse Adams calls much of the cruelty 'theater' aimed at deterring future migrants while avoiding economically costly raids on employers.