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By Jason Lemon
Deputy News Director
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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.
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What Joe Rogan Said About ICE
"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.
American Citizens Detained by ICE
Rogan's concerns follow numerous reports of American citizens being detained during immigration enforcement operations.
An investigation by ProPublica identified more than 500 U.S. citizens detained by federal immigration agents since Trump returned to office in January 2025.
Leonardo García Venegas, a Florida-born American citizen, was detained during an immigration operation at an Alabama construction site in May 2025. Venegas said agents dismissed his identification as fake before releasing him hours later.
The Department of Homeland Security disputed his account of an improper arrest, saying he had obstructed agents attempting to detain another individual.
In September, two 17-year-old American citizens said they were assaulted and detained for approximately eight hours after stopping to record an ICE operation in Alamo, Texas. The teenagers said they had been traveling to a Marine Corps recruiting office.
DHS maintained that the teenagers had interfered with the enforcement operation.
Aliya Rahman, an American citizen, said federal immigration officers forcibly removed her from her vehicle in Minneapolis while she was traveling to a medical appointment.
DHS has repeatedly defended its enforcement practices, maintaining that American citizens are not targeted for immigration arrests and that individuals who obstruct law enforcement can face arrest regardless of citizenship.
What Joe Rogan Said About the Iran War
Rogan also suggested that Trump's decision to enter the war with Iran had severely damaged his presidency.
"It was the Iran decision that f***ed everything," Rogan said during the discussion. His remarks follow months of criticism of the conflict, which Rogan has argued contradicts Trump's campaign promises to avoid new foreign wars.
During an October 14 conversation with actor Michael Douglas, Rogan said he believed Trump's promise of avoiding new wars had proven untrue.
"What Trump stood for, some of it turned out to not be real," Rogan said, pointing specifically to the Iran conflict.
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Rogan's History of Breaking With Trump
Despite his 2024 endorsement, Rogan has repeatedly criticized the administration's immigration policies.
In January, he described the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in Minneapolis as a "terrible tragedy" and questioned whether aggressive immigration enforcement risked resembling the tactics of the Gestapo.
During a May podcast, Rogan similarly warned that heavily armed immigration agents wearing masks and lacking visible identification represented a dangerous expansion of government authority.
He reiterated those concerns in October, criticizing ICE recruitment incentives and what he described as inadequate training for armed federal agents.
Rogan has also opposed Trump's Iran war, questioning its benefits for the United States and warning about the consequences of prolonged military involvement.
Nevertheless, the relationship between Rogan and Trump has remained more complicated than a straightforward political break.
In April, Rogan appeared alongside Trump at the White House as the president signed an executive order accelerating research and regulatory review of psychedelic treatments, including ibogaine.
Trump publicly acknowledged that Rogan had personally urged him to pursue the policy, while Rogan said he had exchanged text messages with the president about the potential medical benefits.
Rogan's Influence and the Midterm Elections
Rogan was widely viewed as an important figure in Trump's successful efforts to build support among younger men during the 2024 presidential election. Trump's nearly three-hour appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience attracted tens of millions of YouTube views, while Rogan endorsed the Republican shortly before Election Day.
Following Trump's victory, UFC President Dana White publicly thanked Rogan and other influential podcasters for their support.
Trump made substantial gains among young male voters in 2024, a demographic his campaign aggressively targeted through appearances on popular podcasts, such as Rogan's show. According to Edison Research exit polling, Trump won approximately 48 percent of men ages 18 to 29, roughly matching Kamala Harris and improving significantly on his 2020 performance against Joe Biden.
Recent polling suggests that support has weakened considerably. An October YouGov survey across eight battleground states found young men favoring Democratic candidates over Republicans by 55 percent to 35 percent.
Rogan's latest criticism comes as Republicans face a difficult political environment nationally ahead of Tuesday's midterms.
The RealClearPolling average as of October 29 showed Democrats leading Republicans by approximately eight points on the generic congressional ballot. An October Pew Research Center survey also found Trump's approval rating had fallen to 30 percent.
Although Rogan's comments do not indicate how his audience will vote, his warning about ICE detaining American citizens and criticism of the Iran War brings into focus the challenges Trump and Republicans faces in maintaining support among key voters who helped them win just two years ago.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story.
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