ICE is a division of the Department of Homeland Security, and therefore not an official branch of the American military. HOWEVER…you don’t have to be Nancy Drew here to glean that the president is attempting, in his characteristically blunt way, to troop-ify ICE. He’s trying to make them as bulletproof as our armed forces, and to frame them as brave public servants willing to do the dangerous work that you, the coddled civilian, are too weak and spineless to do. ICE agents are risking their lives to keep you SAFE. You are the beneficiary of their bravery fighting the supposed animals of MS-13. You want ICE on that wall, you need ICE on that wall, etc.

All you have to do is brand ICE as a quasi-military operation, and you’ll get Wingnut Facebook to fall in line. They have troop-ified ICE, among other entities. They’ve also troop-ified local police departments, even giving them military-grade equipment so that they look the part. And, of course, they have troop-ified the troops themselves.