ICE agents have become TV's newest bogeyman, from Orange Is the New Black to Superstore

The Daily Beast

TV has tended to glorify law-enforcement officials. "But unlike the police, ICE as an agency is relatively new, formed after the events of 9/11 less than 20 years ago," says Shira Feder. "It’s not as entrenched in our media, allowing room for experimentation in how they’re portrayed." But some wonder if portraying ICE as villains is a smart idea. “Making ICE agents as bad guys exacerbates the political fission surrounding the immigration issues,” says media psychologist Pamela Rutleddge, adding that fiction may be ill-equipped to handle such complex stories. “Whether you agree or disagree with current policies, it is important to understand how fiction can inform beliefs on current issues where most people have little actual experience.” Communications professor Christopher Yogerst adds: “The potential reach this has is large. Once you give one highly politically charged storyline to a character that’s already gained trust or sympathy from an audience, it forces them to think about, well, what if it happened to you or your friend?”