Actor Mark Ruffalo took podcaster Joe Rogan to task, saying he is being either "not that smart or not that dumb" for thinking that the Trump administration's ongoing immigration crackdown would only target criminals.
News outlets have reported numerous examples of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arresting individuals, including U.S. citizens, who have no criminal record, or whose criminal record is limited to minor offenses.
In fact, a Cato Institute analysis published last month determined that 65 percent of those detained by ICE had no convictions on their record. Even more revealing—93 percent of those arrested have no violent convictions despite President Donald Trump's insistence that the most violent offenders are top priority for removal.
Speaking on a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan expressed dismay over immigration enforcement, calling what's going on "insane":
"It’s insane. We were told there would be no — well, there are two things that are insane. One is the targeting of migrant workers — not cartel members, not gang members, not drug dealers — just construction workers, showing up in construction sites, raiding them. Gardeners. Like, really?”
Ruffalo later commented on Rogan's remarks in a response to the progressive news site The Tennessee Holler, which admonished Rogan for endorsing Trump in last year's election despite multiple warnings about what would happen if Trump took power.
He said:
“Dear Joe Rogan, it’s a little late now to pretend like Project 2025 didn’t exist and wasn’t the playbook all along. You are either not that smart or not that dumb. It’s hard to tell at this point.”
You can see Ruffalo's response below.
Ruffalo's response referenced Project 2025, a set of conservative and right-wing policy proposals from the Heritage Foundation aimed at restructuring the U.S. federal government that generated controversy last year for outlining plans to consolidate executive power in the event the Republican nominee won the 2024 presidential election.
Per the document, ICE agents would be directed to detain all unauthorized immigrants with criminal records, outstanding deportation orders, or those flagged by local law enforcement under 287(g) agreements.
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Investigations officers—typically focused on complex crimes like trafficking or cybercrime—would be reassigned to prioritize immigration enforcement. Department of Justice prosecutors would similarly be urged to focus on immigration offenses, freeing up additional resources for mass deportation efforts.
Project 2025 calls on Congress to dramatically expand ICE’s budget and double its detention capacity to 100,000 beds, up from the 52,000 beds requested by the Trump administration in 2019. The plan also advocates loosening federal detention standards to prevent states from imposing stricter regulations and to allow ICE greater flexibility in operating temporary “soft-sided” facilities—such as tents or camps—wherever it sees fit.
Many have also called Rogan out.
President Donald Trump last week signed the One Big Beautiful Bill, which codifies much of his immigration agenda.
The legislation positions ICE as the largest federal law enforcement agency, allocating $45 billion for the construction of new detention centers and an additional $14 billion for deportation operations. It also sets aside $3.5 billion to reimburse state and local governments for immigration-related enforcement and detention costs.
A key provision of the bill is the expansion of immigrant detention capacity, nearly doubling the number of available detention beds from around 56,000 to potentially more than 100,000. This surge in funding stands to significantly benefit private prison companies, which currently operate nearly 90 percent of ICE detention facilities.
These firms—many of which have been substantial financial contributors to Republican congressional campaigns and the president’s election efforts—are poised to see major returns as a result of this legislation.
Sure sounds like Rogan is in denial.
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