The current political climate in the United States is undoubtedly tense, particularly after President Donald Trump deployed thousands of ICE agents to several states to enforce his aggressive anti-immigration policies.
Trump’s actions have been criticized by several politicians and celebrities, with Breaking Bad actor Giancarlo Esposito being the recent notable figure to weigh in on the current happenings in the country.
“This is time for a revolution — and they don’t even know that’s what they’re starting,” Esposito, 67, told Variety at the Sundance Film Festival on Tuesday. “We have to stand up to it. They can’t take us all down. If the whole world showed up on Putin’s doorstep or the Iranians’ doorstep or in Washington, they’d kill 500 or 50 million or however [many], but the rest of us would survive with a new [world].”
Trump’s unabated clampdown on illegal immigration has drawn divided opinion. While a section of left-wing politicians and supporters have criticized ICE agents for using excessive force and not acting within the confines of the law, some conservatives have thrown their weight behind them as well as the Trump administration. They have also accused left-wing groups of inciting violence.
For weeks, tensions have also flared between anti-ICE protesters in Minneapolis and ICE agents after President Donald Trump deployed the federal agents to the city. The protests have spread to many other states, particularly after ICE agents fatally shot Minneapolis residents Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti.
“Some very rich old white men are exerting their power to suppress our own people, thus creating a feeling of civil war in the streets, preparing the haters to hate, teaching them how to shoot,” Esposito said.
“This is all a preparation for a very insidious problem that’s happening in our world. And for me, I have to speak out. We will not be ICE’d out. This is not going to happen.”
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