LISTEN: Interview with Dr. Norman Fried, psychologist & professor, HERE
The American left no longer treats immigration enforcement as a policy question. Instead, enforcement itself is treated as a moral crime. That shift has produced what can only be described as ICE derangement syndrome—a pattern of hysteria, distortion, and dehumanization aimed at federal agents carrying out the law.
Dr. Norman Fried, a clinical psychologist who specializes in trauma and behavior, explained how this mindset forms and why it is becoming more dangerous.
ICE exists for a simple reason: to enforce immigration law and remove individuals who have no legal right to remain in the country, particularly criminals. That mission did not suddenly become controversial. What changed was the political incentive structure.
The left learned that demonizing ICE generates outrage, donations, social media engagement, and ideological loyalty. Facts became optional, and the Left began acting on emotion.
Dr. Fried described how group psychology replaces individual moral reasoning. People stop evaluating claims independently and instead adopt whatever narrative their political environment promotes.
Within that sphere, exaggeration is rewarded. ICE agents are no longer officers enforcing statutes; they are recast as “terrorists,” “fascists,” or “kidnappers.” Once that framing takes hold, confrontation feels justified and even heroic.
The consequences are real, and tragic. Demonization erodes trust in law enforcement, encourages resistance to lawful orders, and increases the likelihood of violence.
When activists are told that ICE represents an evil regime rather than a legal authority, they feel morally licensed to obstruct, harass, or attack agents.
The irony is that the left’s narrative ignores who actually benefits from weakened enforcement. It is not families seeking opportunity. Rather, it is cartels, traffickers, and repeat offenders who exploit chaos. A border without consequences is not compassionate; it is predatory.
Trump understands that reality. Deterrence works because it disrupts criminal incentives. Enforcement saves lives by restoring order.
Dr. Fried emphasized that movements driven by emotion rather than fact tend to escalate.
Each claim must be more extreme than the last to maintain attention and cohesion. That is why “ICE is bad” turned into “ICE is evil,” which turned into “ICE must be abolished.”
There is no limiting principle once reality is replaced by feeling.
ICE derangement syndrome is really about control—control over narrative, over language, and over who is allowed to speak.
A country that cannot enforce its laws cannot protect its people. Demonizing the agents tasked with enforcement only makes our society more dangerous.
Read more on why the Left demonizes ICE here.
The post Psychologist Explains the Left’s ICE DERANGEMENT Syndrome appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.