Mark Ruffalo has criticised Joe Rogan for speaking out too late against US immigration raids, accusing the podcast host of ignoring the warning signs around Project 2025. Posting on Threads, the actor responded to comments Rogan made during his 2 July podcast, writing: 'Dear Joe Rogan, it's a little late now to pretend like Project 2025 didn't exist... You are either not that smart or not that dumb.'
According to Ruffalo, Project 2025 is a 922-page policy blueprint backed by Donald Trump and endorsed by the Heritage Foundation. It explicitly calls for widespread immigration enforcement, suggesting that Rogan should have seen this coming.
Rogan Brands ICE Raids 'Insane'
During the 2 July episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Rogan and guest Amjad Masad criticised the raids as 'insane', stressing that non-criminal migrants such as construction workers, gardeners and even students were being targeted.
Rogan stated: 'One is the targeting of migrant workers. Not cartel members, not gang members, not drug dealers. Just construction workers. Showing up at construction sites, raiding them. Gardeners. Like, really?' He and Masad also highlighted that activist students, including Turkish PhD candidate Rümeysa Öztürk and Columbia's Mahmoud Khalil, had been caught up and jailed on national security grounds.
ICE Raids and Rising Unrest
ICE resumed nationwide raids in early June after a brief pause, detaining tens of thousands. According to some sources, there are over 50,000 detainees in custody, with approximately six out of every ten having no criminal record.
In Los Angeles alone, raids on Home Depots, construction sites and warehouses triggered major protests beginning on 6 June, resulting in more than 575 arrests and the deployment of 4,100 National Guard troops and 700 Marines. Looting at 23 businesses caused damages estimated at several million pounds, while the Pentagon's deployment cost approximately £104 million ($134 million).
Project 2025: The Blueprint That Warned Us
Ruffalo emphasised that Project 2025, developed with input from Trump allies including former border chief Tom Homan, contains explicit plans for aggressive workplace deportations during a potential second term.
Trump has publicly distanced himself from Project 2025, but the involvement of former border czar Tom Homan suggests the plan still reflects his influence. Ruffalo claims Rogan's reaction is unconvincing, given that mass deportation is already part of the agenda.
Culture Wars: Celebs vs Podcasters
Ruffalo, who previously joined the 'No Kings' marches in New York and aligned with Hollywood figures such as Bad Bunny, Finneas and Diego Luna, believes the raids are part of an oligarchic campaign targeting working-class communities.
Rogan, meanwhile, leaves a split legacy, having endorsed Bernie Sanders in 2020, Donald Trump in 2024 and now openly criticising ICE. Some analysts have questioned the sincerity and timing of his political shift.
Despite DHS claims that the majority of prisoners had criminal history, critics believe that the evidence demonstrates otherwise. In contrast, Rogan stated: 'We were told there would be no... targeting of migrant workers... but that's exactly what's happening'. Ruffalo's response is effective: indignation must come sooner and louder.
