Podcast host Joe Rogan delivered an unfiltered rebuke of President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement strategy on the July 2 episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, criticizing workplace raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as excessive and misdirected. Rogan's remarks have since drawn fire from actor Mark Ruffalo, who accused the podcaster of belated outrage over policies that have long been public.
"It's insane," Rogan said, referring to recent reports of ICE targeting day laborers and construction workers under Trump's stepped-up deportation agenda. "Not cartel members, not gang members, not drug dealers. Just construction workers. Showing up in construction sites, raiding them. Gardeners. Like, really?"
The comments came during an interview with Replit CEO Amjad Masad, who also raised concerns about the treatment of foreign students. Masad cited a case involving a Turkish student at Tufts University who came under government scrutiny after writing a critical essay about Israel. "Just critical of Israel, yeah. I mean... " Masad said. "That's enough to get you kicked out of the country," Rogan added.
The Biden-era Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement, pushing controversial policies that include expanding border wall construction, suspending refugee resettlement, and increasing workplace raids. The White House has also proposed restricting visa terms for international students and ending "catch and release" practices.
In response to the podcast, Ruffalo posted on Instagram Threads, "Dear Joe Rogan. It's a little late now to pretend like Project 2025 didn't exist and wasn't the playbook all along." The actor continued, "You are either not that smart or not that dumb. It's hard to tell at this point."
Rogan, who interviewed Trump during the 2024 campaign and has previously expressed support for his candidacy, has not publicly responded to Ruffalo's criticism.
Trump has attempted to quell backlash by signaling potential exemptions for some undocumented laborers. "We're going to take care of our farmers and hotel workers, but we're working on it right now," Trump said during a tour of a new detention facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida. "They can be here legally. They can pay taxes and everything. They're not getting citizenship, but they get other things."
Ruffalo, who has been active in immigration protests, reiterated his belief that immigrant communities are being scapegoated. "If you look at the statistics, most of the crimes committed in this country are by White people - non-immigrants," he said during a "No Kings" rally in New York. "The immigrants aren't the criminals."
The actor has called for collective action against what he describes as billionaire-backed policies. "Well, we're seeing what's happening... most of the crimes committed in this country are by White people - non-immigrants," Ruffalo stated at the rally, wearing a cap that read "immigrant."
