One of the mistaken beliefs of contemporary neofascists is that Pournelle's Iron Law only applies to bureaucracies. It would be much much less work for ICE to stop executing American citizens, stop abducting citizens and lawful immigrants, and stop keeping deportees in overcrowded and opaque concentration camps, and repair their own reputation by generally operating within the law like good faith public servants. But obviously doing that would not meet the needs of the expanding autocracy.