Eight deaths demand accountability, not hysteria. The answer is exposing bad actors, strengthening institutions, and refusing to let outrage dismantle the rule of law.
There is an old proverb that warns one bad apple spoils the whole barrel. It has survived for generations because it speaks to something fundamentally true about power, leadership, and human nature. Toxic behavior spreads. Left unchecked, it infects morale, erodes standards, and eventually threatens the integrity of the entire institution.
I have spent enough years inside the highest levels of business and politics to know exactly how organizations really function once the cameras leave and the press releases stop. You learn very quickly that every institution has its stars, its workhorses, and yes, the occasional genius who somehow believes the rules apply only to everyone else. The problem is never that bad apples exist. The problem begins when leadership refuses to throw them out before they spoil everyone else.
What troubles me today is how that lesson has been turned completely upside down. Instead of removing the bad apples to save the barrel, too many people would rather light the entire orchard on fire and congratulate themselves for solving the problem.
That is exactly what we are watching unfold with the growing calls to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Let us begin with the facts, not the slogans.
Since March 2025, eight people have died during encounters involving ICE. Eight lives lost. Eight tragedies that demand answers. Every one of those deaths deserves a thorough investigation, complete transparency, and where appropriate, criminal accountability. A federal badge is not a get out of jail free card. If anything, it should demand a higher standard of conduct.
But there is an enormous difference between demanding accountability and demanding demolition.
The loudest voices insist that because some officers allegedly crossed the line, the entire agency should be dismantled. That may produce great hashtags and cable television sound bites, but it is not serious public policy. The United States remains a nation governed by laws, and enforcing immigration law is one of the federal government’s most fundamental responsibilities. President Trump was elected with a clear mandate that includes securing the nation’s borders. Whether someone applauds every policy or criticizes every policy is beside the point. Immigration enforcement itself is not optional.
The question is not whether ICE should exist. The question is whether those entrusted with enforcing the law are following it themselves.
Recent events suggest that even the agency recognizes serious concerns.
Following two fatal shootings, one in Houston and another in Biddeford, Maine, ICE temporarily instructed officers to avoid most traffic stop arrests while internal reviews continue. In both incidents, officers fired into moving vehicles, killing immigrants from Mexico and Colombia. The Department of Homeland Security maintains the agents acted defensively after drivers allegedly resisted arrest and created dangerous situations. Local officials and immigrant advocacy organizations have called for independent investigations to determine exactly what happened.
That temporary operational pause tells us something important. It demonstrates that the administration understands these incidents cannot simply be brushed aside. When procedures are suspended, it is because confidence in those procedures has been shaken. That is not political theater. That is responsible leadership.
Another fatal encounter in Florida only intensified those concerns after a man fleeing federal agents ran into the path of a commercial tractor trailer and was killed. Incidents like these have prompted lawmakers and policing experts to demand a comprehensive review of training, pursuit policies, and use of force protocols. Senator Susan Collins even urged Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to suspend non-urgent vehicle stops. The department agreed. That was not weakness. It was common sense. Sometimes the smartest move is to stop, take a hard look in the mirror, and make sure the next headline is not another tragedy.
There is also a practical reality that cannot be ignored.
John Sandweg, who led ICE during the Obama administration, observed that historically the overwhelming majority of ICE arrests occurred inside prisons and jails, where the environment is controlled and significantly safer. As immigration enforcement has expanded into roadside operations, officers increasingly find themselves making high pressure vehicle stops where mistakes can become fatal in seconds.
Law enforcement professionals have long warned against firing into moving vehicles except under the most extraordinary circumstances. David Harris and numerous policing experts have repeatedly explained why. Bullets do not come with GPS tracking. They can miss their intended target, strike innocent bystanders, or incapacitate a driver and turn a moving vehicle into a missile. Hollywood may make those scenes look heroic. Real life usually writes a far uglier ending.
Departments in cities like Chicago and Los Angeles prohibit firing at moving vehicles unless there is an immediate deadly threat that extends beyond the vehicle itself. Those policies were not drafted by politicians looking for applause. They were written after years of painful experience and hard lessons learned by officers who understood exactly how quickly situations can spiral out of control.
The absence of body worn cameras during the Maine shooting only deepens public skepticism. In today’s world, transparency is no longer a luxury. It is essential. Cameras protect the public from misconduct, and they protect good officers from false accusations. That should not be a controversial statement.
Former acting ICE Director Mark Morgan raises another point worth considering. Sweeping restrictions or permanent operational shutdowns risk crushing the morale of thousands of officers who perform extraordinarily difficult jobs professionally and honorably every single day. Most ICE agents will never fire their weapon. Most will never violate department policy. Most simply go to work, do an incredibly difficult job under intense scrutiny, and return home to their families.
It would be just as irresponsible to condemn every ICE officer because of several tragic incidents as it would be to excuse misconduct simply because someone wears a federal badge.
Accountability is not anti-law enforcement. Accountability is what gives legitimate law enforcement its credibility.
If an officer violates policy, abuses authority, or commits a crime, that officer should face the same justice system they are sworn to uphold. No exceptions. No excuses. The badge cannot become a shield against accountability. It should represent accountability.
The solution has never been to abolish every institution that experiences failure. If that were the standard, Washington would be one giant vacant lot.
We strengthen institutions by demanding better leadership, better training, greater transparency, and meaningful consequences for misconduct. We remove the bad apples before they poison everyone else. We fix what is broken instead of pretending demolition is the same thing as reform.
That is how you save the barrel.
Because once we begin destroying every institution instead of removing the people who abuse their authority, we stop solving problems. We simply replace one failure with another. Real leadership is not measured by how quickly you can tear something down. It is measured by whether you have the courage, discipline, and common sense to fix it. That has always been the harder job. It also happens to be the one that actually works.