Temple University students who impersonated ICE agents are sitting at a ‘cruel kids’ table’ set by adults

In a world where every day feels like a race to the bottom, we should not be surprised that the worst among us will always dig the hole a little bit deeper.

I’m not talking about President Donald Trump, at least not yet.

I’m talking about the Temple University students (two current, one former) who are accused of impersonating Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on campus earlier this month.

At a time when immigrant communities in our city are being targeted by Trump’s indiscriminate immigration crackdowns, these guys apparently thought it would be a good idea to act like privileged parasites.

I’d suggest they need to get a life (or a date), but I wouldn’t wish them on anyone.

While most college students were getting ready to enjoy their Saturday night on Feb. 1, police say two men tried to gain entrance into the Johnson and Hardwick Residence Halls around 9:30 p.m. When they didn’t get far, they left with a third man in a Jaguar SUV (Thanks, Mom! Thanks, Dad!) and headed to the nearby Insomnia Cookies.

Because nothing satisfies weekend racism munchies quite like some ooey-gooey cookies.

There, police said the men — two wearing “ICE” and “POLICE” T-shirts — acted the fools while a third filmed, because, as they say, “Pics or it didn’t happen,” am I right, fam?

Aidan Steigelmann, 22, a current Temple student and a 2021 graduate of Wissahickon High School in Ambler, was arrested and charged with impersonating a public servant. Temple has put him and another so far unnamed student on interim suspension as police continue to investigate.

Let’s think about that for a second, shall we? Members of a generation that has grown up in the shadow of real terror — from mass shootings to COVID-19 to whatever this pitiful moment in history will eventually be called — and also at a time when “fake news” reigns supreme, allegedly thought it was a good idea to make a mockery out of it all. And for what? A cheap thrill, a viral moment, some twisted notoriety?

At least one of them now has a mug shot to commemorate the moment.

But then, what do we expect? These aren’t just random acts of stupidity, or some “kids today!” issue. It’s a reflection of something bigger, and uglier.

I’d ask who raised these dopes — because we all know how much folks love to ask, “Where are the parents?” when bad behavior is committed by young people from certain neighborhoods — but we already know: a culture where the most privileged walk around with the biggest chips on their shoulders, where the most powerful rage against a system that has always treated them as above it all.

So how can we be shocked that some push boundaries for a few extra likes, a few more followers? After all, there’s no such thing as too far when it comes to being noticed these days. And there definitely aren’t consequences, at least none that actually stick.

Storm the U.S. Capitol, and just wait for your presidential pardon. Speak at conferences with white supremacists in attendance and say things like, “Competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work,” and get a senior position at the U.S. State Department. Cling ferociously to the lie that Trump won the 2020 election, and everyone: Meet our new U.S. attorney general!

Heil … something, and who you gonna believe: an emotionally stunted billionaire, or your lying eyes?

We are under attack. Not by foreign enemies, but by a cadre of actual elites who have everything but the basic decency and empathy required to lead, and who are setting the worst kinds of examples for the next generation. And that starts at the top — with a president and an administration that normalized cruelty in its first term and is now weaponizing it by cutting off Americans from federal funding, inflicting tariffs that will affect lower-income families, and who all but called for ethnic cleansing while floating the idea of the U.S. taking over the Gaza Strip.

A recent New York Magazine story titled “The Cruel Kids’ Table” explored “the young, confident and casually cruel Trumpers who, after conquering Washington, have their sights set on America.”

These well-heeled and well-connected “kids” laugh at some of the terminology Trump used in his inauguration speech being “a little bit Hitlerian.” They don’t care about pronouns or feelings, or civility, for that matter. They are proudly crude and rude, and throughout the piece, they constantly refer to themselves as “normal.”

Except that “cruel kids’ table”? It was set by the adults who’ve cooked up a culture of disrespect and deficiency, added a hearty amount of punching down, and served it up as a “winning” recipe in a world that becomes more unrecognizable by the day.

And long after those adults are gone, their legacy will remain — a toxic, self-absorbed, privilege-fueled populace.

I wish I could say these students are the exception. But more and more it feels like they’re the rule.