Podcaster Joe Rogan, once seen as a powerful supporter of President Donald Trump, aired his concerns over the administration’s hardline immigration tactics.
In the latest episode of “The Joe Rogan Experience,” the titular host criticized what he called the “insane” deportation policies being implemented under Trump, particularly those targeting migrant workers and international students.
“There’s two things that are insane,” Rogan said. “One is the targeting of migrant workers. Not cartel members, not gang members, not drug dealers.”
“Just construction workers,” he noted. “Showing up in construction sites, raiding them. Gardeners. Like, really?”
Joe Rogan: "It's insane. The targeting of migrant workers, not cartel members, not gang members, not drug dealers. Just construction workers showing up on construction sites and raiding them." pic.twitter.com/r04H8zA2hk
— Joe Rogan Podcast News (@joeroganhq) July 3, 2025
The episode featured Amjad Masad, a tech CEO with Palestinian roots, who also denounced the administration’s immigration policies.
“What’s happening now is — it’s kind of disappointing,” Masad said. Rogan readily agreed, interrupting with, “It’s insane.”
Masad pointed to the case of Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish Ph.D. student at Tufts University who was detained by ICE agents after writing an op-ed critical of the school’s ties to Israel.
Ozturk spent six weeks in a Louisiana immigration detention center before being released in May after a district judge ruled her detainment was illegal.
“And that’s enough to get you kicked out of the country?” Rogan reacted incredulously.
Rogan also mentioned Mahmoud Khalil, a Palestinian-American graduate student at Columbia University, who was arrested in March.
Khalil had been a vocal leader in pro-Palestinian protests and was accused of falsifying information on his green card application.
After six weeks of detention in an immigration facility, Tufts University student Rümeysa Öztürk returned to Boston and thanked her supporters https://t.co/LGyzBjHhKv pic.twitter.com/z7C0NRGU64
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 11, 2025
The Trump administration cited his activism as a foreign policy threat and invoked a rarely used immigration statute as grounds for deportation.
Masad and Rogan both expressed dismay over the use of political speech as a basis for deportation.
The Department of Homeland Security, however, rejected their hot take.
“The official data tells the real story: an overwhelming majority of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens with criminal convictions or pending criminal charges,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
"This administration thrives on cruelty and thrives on separation."
We speak to Mahmoud Khalil about his 100+ days in ICE jail in his first live broadcast interview since his release. pic.twitter.com/BxmpZKX9VH
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) July 3, 2025
“Further, many illegal aliens categorized as ‘non-criminals’ are actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gang members and worse.”
“Secretary Noem has unleashed the U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) to target the worst of the worst—including gang members, murderers, and rapists,” she added.
“We are putting the American people first by removing illegal aliens who pose a threat to our communities.”
Rogan’s critique comes after his prior public endorsement of Trump, a move widely credited with helping drive a significant portion of the young male vote during the 2024 election.
His podcast on Spotify and YouTube, which reaches millions, had been a major win for the Trump campaign.
Despite his earlier support, Rogan has repeatedly distanced himself from certain aspects of Trump’s presidency in recent months.
Rogan: “These ICE raids are f*ckin’ nuts…if Trump had said we’re gonna go to Home Depot and arrest everyone, we're gonna go to construction sites and tackle people… they said they were getting rid of criminals…and now Home Depots are raided? Crazy.” pic.twitter.com/1WVgSobcdf
— Gavin Newsom (@GavinNewsom) June 23, 2025
In a separate episode with comedians Luis J. Gomez and Big Jay Oakerson, Rogan said, “They said we’re gonna get rid of the criminals and the gang members first. Right? And now we’re, we’re seeing like Home Depots get raided, like that’s crazy.”
He clarified that he supports deporting criminals but believes targeting laborers and students is unnecessary and counterproductive.
“Like going in and raiding those people and putting ’em in jail because they’ve integrated into society in an illegal way. It seems stupid,” Rogan said.
Trump, who ran on a platform of strict immigration control, has ramped up ICE operations during his second term.
His signature legislation, the One Big Beautiful Bill, recently passed the House and would allocate $170 billion to immigration enforcement, making ICE the most heavily funded federal law enforcement agency.
ICE officials have hailed the bill as a game-changer. Acting Director Todd Lyons said in a statement, “I speak on behalf of the entire agency when I say that ICE is grateful to President Trump for putting in the hard work necessary to get the Big Beautiful Bill across the finish line – but the real win is for the American people.”
“The unprecedented funding for ICE will enable my hard-working officers and agents to continue making America safe again by identifying, arresting and removing criminal aliens from our communities,” Lyons said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also weighed in, praising the bill as “a win for law and order and the safety and security of the American people.”
“This $165 billion in funding will help DHS and our brave law enforcement further deliver on President Trump’s mandate to arrest and deport criminal illegal aliens and MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN,” she commented. “Thank you President Trump!”