Podcaster Joe Rogan criticized President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement policies on Saturday, warning that masked federal agents were "snatching up" people, including American citizens, and setting dangerous precedents that could be exploited by future administrations. Speaking with British comedians and political commentators Francis Foster and Konstantin Kisin, co-hosts of the popular politics and culture podcast TRIGGERnometry, Rogan argued that Americans should be concerned about the expansion of federal law enforcement powers, even if they support Trump's efforts to crack down on illegal immigration. Rogan, who endorsed Trump in the 2024 presidential election, has become increasingly critical of some of the administration's policies, particularly its aggressive immigration enforcement tactics and war with Iran.
The podcaster is seen to have significant influence over young male voters, a demographic Trump successfully courted in 2024, and his remarks come just days before the November 3 midterm elections, with Republicans trailing Democrats in national congressional polling. "Most people in this country don't like the idea of a militarized police force with no identification, just pulling people over," Rogan said. "It opens up a world of problems.
It sets terrible precedents." The podcast host argued that supporters of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should consider how the same tactics could be employed by future administrations. "You're allowed to have a militarized police force with masks on, and they don't have any identification. And they're snatching up people," Rogan said.
"And some of them happen to be American citizens." Rogan suggested that Americans who support such tactics because they believe aggressive enforcement is necessary to achieve Trump's immigration objectives could be overlooking the long-term consequences. "If you're supporting this, because I got to crack a few eggs to make an omelet. Okay, well, you just opened up the fucking hen house," he said.
"If you're allowing that, and that's normalized in society, that's not good," Rogan added. However, Rogan also defended the need for immigration enforcement targeting dangerous criminals. He pointed to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua and other criminal organizations allegedly involved in kidnapping, illegal activities and cartel violence within the United States.
"That's real too," Rogan said. "So like, support of ICE to go after that is pretty strong." The Trump administration has defended its immigration crackdown as necessary to remove dangerous criminals and protect public safety, while critics have raised concerns about due process, accountability and the detention of American citizens. Newsweek reached out to ICE for comment via email on Saturday.
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