Watching From the Outside: Why Some Are Drawing Uncomfortable Parallels With America’s Direction

28 January 2026

Paul Francis

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From the outside looking in, the United States feels tense in a way that is hard to ignore. Recent news has heightened that sense even further. On 24 January 2026, federal immigration agents fatally shot 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti during an operation in Minneapolis. Pretti was a lawful gun owner and had no significant criminal record, but video footage circulating online shows him recording officers with his phone and attempting to help a woman before being pepper-sprayed, wrestled to the ground and shot multiple times by agents. His death came amid a broader surge in immigration enforcement actions in the city that has sparked widespread protests and national debate about the use of force and accountability.

Police officers in black riot gear stand in formation on cobblestone street, holding batons, creating a tense and serious mood.

The killing of Pretti, who was widely remembered by colleagues and neighbours as compassionate and dedicated to his work, has drawn sharp criticism from civil rights groups, local officials and even former U.S. presidents. Public anger has spread beyond Minneapolis to rallies in other American cities and ongoing demands for transparency and reform.

For many people overseas, including in the UK, this adds a stark, human dimension to long-standing debates about immigration enforcement, executive power, and the use of force by federal agents.

Historical Echoes and Patterns of Enforcement

What unsettles observers most is not a superficial comparison to the worst chapters of history, but the processes that unfold when state power is exercised with increasing visibility and limited accountability. In the early 1930s in Germany, for example, enforcement and security agencies were expanded, rhetoric framed certain groups as threats to public order, and legal mechanisms were adapted gradually in the name of national security. Before the worst atrocities occurred, many citizens still believed institutions would hold firm.

The parallels some are drawing today are about how language, enforcement and public perception can shift over time, not about equating present-day events with the horrors of the Holocaust or claiming that history is bound to repeat itself. Democracies do not erode overnight. They do so when extraordinary measures become normalised and when fear is used as justification for expanding state authority.

Immigration Enforcement and Public Fear

The focus on agencies such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Border Patrol under the current administration has made enforcement part of everyday conversation in a way that was once reserved for national security crises. Actions such as raids, aggressive detentions, and high-profile shootings like the deaths of Pretti and Renee Good earlier this month have drawn comparisons to historical moments when internal policing exerted extraordinary authority over civilians.

From the outside, this visibility of enforcement is unsettling. In situations where armed federal agents are deployed in large numbers to American cities, and when deaths occur in contested circumstances, the tendency is for commentators and historians to look back at how other societies responded to similar shifts in state behaviour and to ask whether existing checks and balances are sufficient.

Rhetoric and the Framing of Threats

Language plays a powerful role in shaping public opinion and policy. In the early 20th century Europe, political leaders increasingly used rhetoric that framed certain groups as dangerous or incompatible with national identity. This language made previously unthinkable policies acceptable to a broad public.

In the U.S. context, political rhetoric around immigration has in some quarters suggested that foreign nationals or dissenters pose existential threats. Critics argue that such language sets the tone for enforcement actions that might otherwise be widely criticised.

The Legal System and Incremental Change

One of the most important lessons from modern history is that authoritarian systems often emerge through the reinterpretation or expansion of existing laws, rather than through the overt suspension of democratic systems. Courts, legislatures, and enforcement agencies remain in place in the United States, but when emergency powers or discretionary enforcement are normalised, the public’s trust in institutions can be eroded.

These concerns are not hypothetical. Critics have pointed out that the legal frameworks governing immigration enforcement give federal agencies enormous discretion. When enforcement is paired with aggressive tactics in civilian urban environments, it raises questions about oversight, accountability and the protection of civil liberties.

Why Observers Abroad Are Paying Attention

The United States has long been seen as a beacon of democratic values, a country where civil liberties and the rule of law are central to national identity. From the UK and Europe, watching developments in Minneapolis and across the U.S. feels significant precisely because it tests that assumption.

Modern communication accelerates polarisation and magnifies every incident. Historical memory informs how we interpret patterns. Europe’s twentieth-century experience serves as a backdrop that makes observers sensitive to early indicators of democratic erosion, such as expanded enforcement powers, heightened rhetoric about internal threats, and the normalisation of force against civilians.

It is not that the United States today mirrors Germany of the 1930s in outcome or intent. The difference lies in context, institutions and culture. What resonates is not the specific ideology, but the processes by which states can extend authority, restrict dissent, and normalise exceptional measures in the name of order.

A Cautionary Perspective

What worries many observers is not that a totalitarian system is inevitable. Democracies are resilient and multifaceted. The U.S. still has strong independent courts, vibrant civil society and free media. But history teaches that complacency is dangerous. Democracies do not disappear because people want tyranny. They erode when early warning signs are dismissed as exaggeration.

From Minneapolis to broader immigration enforcement debates, what is happening in the United States prompts reflection on how democratic societies balance security, liberty and accountability. From the outside, that balance feels more fragile than many expected.

And in a world where U.S. domestic policy often influences global norms, those questions matter far beyond America’s borders.

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Back when I was a child in primary school and secondary school I loved performing. Where many kids my age would’ve hated any public speaking I genuinely enjoyed it. The rush you get I think is unmatched. It's a mixture of excitement and nerves at first, but once you get started and find your rhythm those nerves start to go away and the adrenaline kicks in.

Now I’m 22 and at university, those chances to perform are few and far between. I really don’t care for musical theatre and I’m not studying drama like I was back in secondary school. The closest thing I had to those experiences back in school was probably at college and whilst on placement at ITK’s sister company, Novus. At college I was involved in a lot of promotional videos and content for the brand-new T-Level qualification and at Novus I'd do short videos on my time while on placement. I also did short adverts for ITK’s social media pages.

These videos almost gave that same buzz but not quite. Don’t get me wrong I really enjoyed these but not to the same extent as being able to see all the eyes on you. Talking to a camera just isn’t the same. There’s not that instant feedback of a laugh or an obvious face of “this isn’t going too well”. This week I had the chance to change that thanks to a new gig I was about to start.

I was going to be the MC at a student boxing event. For 3 hours my job would be to introduce fellow students into the ring and hype up a crowd full of those boxers' mates. It’d been a long time since I’d done anything remotely like this. The last time I’d spoken in front of a crowd this big was never. The closest I’d come was maybe as a 10-year-old in performance at the crucible but this was different. This was an event I’d been to and loved as a spectator and now I was essentially presenting it.

I know I’m playing it up but to say I was excited was a massive understatement. I also know this night is really about the fighters. They’re the ones that had for the last 8 weeks been in a training camp, learning a sport that might be completely new to them, and then having to perform in front of a crowd. That’s extremely daunting. The point is most people there weren’t there to see me, my job was simply to help make their night better.

When I first stepped into the ring I might have been looking dapper in my tuxedo but inside I was bricking it. It’d been so long since I spoke or performed in front of a crowd. I looked down at my script, I could barely read the words I was shaking that much. Then the adrenaline kicked in, and I belted out a “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to fight night!” Then that feeling came back, the rush brought a smile straight to my face and the cheers of the crowd gave me the confidence to just go for it. I introduced the night, bantered with the crowd about their choice of university and introduced the first fight. Then it was time to get back out of the ring.

I sat down outside the ring. At this point, I think I finally breathed. I felt my forehead, it was dripping with sweat but I loved it. I knew I could do this and do it well. I didn’t need the script, I just needed to be me and enjoy this moment. The rest of the night went brilliantly. As I announced more fights my confidence grew and I probably stopped talking so quickly too.

Before this, I’d be struggling to find something enjoyable at university. Going out isn’t the same as it used to be. I might just be getting older. It felt like I’d found a hobby almost, but one I could get paid for too. That evening I felt like a celebrity, walking out the venue people were talking to me, saying how good a job I’d done. It was instant positive feedback, something I’d been craving for so long. What was at first a daunting experience I was excited yet apprehensive about, became the best thing for my mental health in years.