Dr. David Levitt on ICE kidnapping immigrants: US citizens as well as many progressive issues.

Egberto Off The Record featured former senatorial candidate David Levitt on ICE kidnapping immigrants & US citizens, and more.

Dr. David Levitt on ICE kidnapping immigrants.

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Podcasts (Video — Audio)

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Summary

The conversation between Dr. David Levitt and Egberto Willies was a piercing exploration of grassroots resistance, government overreach, media complicity, and the rising demand for justice. Levitt, a longtime activist and MIT-trained scientist, joined Willies to expose the alarming normalization of kidnapping and warrantless detention by masked federal agents—practices he argues amount to state-sponsored organized crime. The two linked these abuses to broader issues: the failure of mainstream media, the rise of independent voices, Zionism versus Judaism, and the growing momentum of democratic socialism. In essence, the dialogue underscored the need for citizens, not political elites, to safeguard democracy against authoritarian creep.

• Kidnapping as Policy: Levitt spotlighted how federal agents, often masked and without warrants, are kidnapping immigrants and even citizens, a practice dangerously normalized in communities nationwide.
• Independent Media’s Role: Both Levitt and Willies stressed that mainstream media downplays these abuses, leaving it to independent journalists and grassroots platforms like Substack to expose the truth.
• Normalization of Fascism: Willies warned that such actions are “training doses” of authoritarianism, likening them to poison that builds tolerance until democracy collapses.
• Broader Progressive Struggles: The discussion tied state violence to global struggles, including opposition to Israel’s assault on Gaza, and highlighted how many Jewish activists reject Zionism as incompatible with Judaism.
• Political Shifts: Levitt praised victories like Zohran Mamdani’s in New York, arguing that democratic socialism is no longer disqualifying but is now a unifying force across urban and rural America.

Levitt and Willies painted a sobering but empowering picture: America stands at the edge of authoritarian normalization, yet ordinary people are resisting. From neighbors confronting ICE kidnappers to students protesting classmates’ detentions, citizens are proving that grassroots courage can outpace political cowardice. The duo insisted that democratic survival depends not on weak party leaders but on people who refuse to be silenced. As Willies concluded, the mainstream media may be reactive, but independent voices must remain proactive—because when kidnappings and concentration camps are framed as “normal,” silence is complicity.

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The discussion between Dr. David Levitt and Egberto Willies illuminated one of the most pressing dangers in contemporary America: the normalization of authoritarian practices cloaked as law enforcement. Levitt, with a background as both a scientist and an activist, articulated a growing crisis—masked federal agents abducting individuals without warrants, accountability, or due process. These incidents, whether occurring outside workplaces, schools, or community spaces, represent not just isolated abuses but the coordinated spread of a new kind of organized crime sanctioned by the state.

Egberto Willies, publisher of Egberto Off The Record Newsletter and host of Politics Done Right, provided the framing that these practices are not random. They are a “training dose” of fascism. Just as exposure to small amounts of poison can desensitize the body until a fatal dose is tolerated, Americans are being conditioned to accept masked agents and secret detentions as normal. Once normalized, these tactics can expand beyond immigrants to anyone deemed inconvenient to power.

Levitt explained how grassroots pushback has already taken shape. From the First and Fourth Amendment “auditors” who film and refuse to cooperate with kidnappers, to communities like those in Massachusetts where students rallied to prevent a classmate’s detention, ordinary people are asserting their rights. In some cases, these confrontations have ended peacefully because citizens insisted on accountability. But Levitt also noted the dangers—citizens who resist risk intimidation, harassment, or worse. Still, the resistance movement is growing, fueled by the knowledge that silence is surrender.

The role of media was a central theme. Levitt recounted how Facebook initially censored posts about ICE kidnappings, only to reverse course later once it realized such videos generated massive engagement—and profit. Willies criticized this profit-first mentality, noting that mainstream outlets consistently downplay these events to avoid upsetting advertisers or political patrons. Instead, independent platforms like Substack, Democracy Now!, and grassroots livestreams have become the true vehicles of democratic accountability. This mirrors Willies’s larger critique: corporate media is reactive, while independent media must be proactive to defend democracy.

The conversation also broadened into international and ideological terrain. Levitt drew a sharp distinction between Judaism and Zionism, calling the latter a betrayal of Jewish values of justice and compassion. He pointed to activists like Naomi Klein and Bernie Sanders as examples of Jewish voices rejecting Netanyahu’s policies in Gaza, which he described as genocidal. Willies emphasized how mainstream coverage ignores the Jewish-led protests against Israel’s actions, leaving audiences with a distorted narrative. For both men, the lesson was clear: when the powerful conflate their crimes with identity or faith, independent voices must separate truth from propaganda.

The discussion then pivoted to the political moment in the United States. Levitt celebrated the victory of Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist in New York, as evidence that the word is no longer a political death sentence but a rallying cry for working-class Americans across geographies. He argued that the Democratic establishment, embodied by figures like Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, remains trapped in Cold War-era caution and corporate subservience. By contrast, the grassroots sees democratic socialism not as radical but as synonymous with affordability, fairness, and dignity. Willies echoed this sentiment, recalling how Bernie Sanders’s 2020 campaign electrified Latino communities in Nevada before being derailed by establishment maneuvering.

Looking ahead, Levitt outlined three urgent fronts: the 2026 midterms, Donald Trump’s ambitions for 2028, and the militarization of America. He predicted that thousands of candidates inspired by Mamdani would run in local and state races, bypassing establishment bottlenecks like ActBlue and AIPAC. Regarding Trump, Levitt and Willies agreed that his authoritarian instincts—such as testing militarization in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.—represent the same “training dose” strategy. Finally, they warned that the militarization of domestic life, from ICE raids to the diversion of National Guard resources, must be countered through legal tools like RICO statutes. Levitt insisted that state attorneys general must act, but acknowledged that only relentless citizen pressure will force them to confront federal impunity.

The conversation closed with a sobering call to action. Both men urged listeners to recognize that democracy is not defended by elites but by citizens willing to act—whether that means documenting abuses, calling 911 when kidnappings occur, or flooding the media ecosystem with independent journalism. The stakes, as Willies framed them, are existential. If Americans accept today’s kidnappings and concentration camps as normal, tomorrow’s erosion of rights will come faster than anyone imagines.

Ultimately, Levitt and Willies issued both a warning and an invitation. The warning: authoritarianism thrives on normalization and apathy. The invitation: ordinary people possess immense power when they refuse to cooperate with injustice and when they amplify independent voices. In a nation where the mainstream media too often abdicates its duty, the responsibility falls on citizens to “be the media,” resist normalization, and defend the democratic promise against those who seek to poison it.