Why do ICE goons wear masks, and where will this lead to? [View all]

[Wicked Blue]

From a report by CNN, April 8, 2025:

As Trump’s immigration crackdown continues, ethics questions are being raised over the use of masked federal agents

"It is standard procedure for ICE officers and other agents from the Department of Homeland Security to wear plain clothes during field operations if they properly identify themselves as a law enforcement officer, according to John Miller, CNN’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst.

"But the issue of using masks to deliberately cover the faces of people involved in the operations has become a “lightning rod,” as footage from the detentions – which may have received less attention had the agents followed typical protocols – have “suddenly become high interest,” Miller said.

“It raises the question, if they are legitimate law enforcement agents carrying out a proper arrest under the law, why are they hiding their identities?” Miller said."

-snip-

"Immigration attorney Lee said individual agents should be identified, saying they are “responsible for disappearing people who are here on visas and have First Amendment rights.”

(Eric Lee is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the immigration attorney for several student visa holders involved in protests .)

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/08/us/ice-masks-federal-agents-arrest-students/index.html


From The Milwaukee Independent, April 16, 2025:

Why the unchecked power and tactics of ICE under Trump have earned comparisons to secret police

"ICE, once ostensibly focused on deporting dangerous criminals, now operates in a gray zone between law enforcement and political enforcement. This is the road to a secret police force. And the signs are no longer subtle.

"Like the Gestapo, ICE has begun asserting authority not just over undocumented migrants, but over legally present individuals. Ozturk was not undocumented. Abrego Garcia had legal protection. Both were targeted anyway.

"Like the Gestapo, ICE is employing euphemisms such as “administrative transfer,” “security concern,” or “status review” to bypass due process. And like the Gestapo, ICE now deploys fear as policy: fear of seizure, of surveillance, of disappearance into a remote detention center with no legal remedy.

"Even the visual language of ICE’s recent actions has shifted. Plainclothes agents in unmarked vehicles. Arrests with no warning, no badges, no transparency."

https://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/editorial/unchecked-power-tactics-ice-trump-earned-comparisons-secret-police/


From the Maine Morning Star, April 17, 2025:

Community members request Wells Police terminate contract with ICE

"After federal immigration authorities accepted Maine’s first police department into an official partnership earlier this month, some community members are now requesting police terminate the contract.

"The crux of the rift between the community and police: uncertainty and disagreement over how they expect the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) program will operate in practice."

-snip-

"Wells’ agreement is specifically for 287(g)’s “task force model,” which ICE describes as a “force multiplier” to allow law enforcement agencies to enforce limited immigration authority with ICE oversight during their routine police duties. 287(g)’s other two models are focused on investigating people who have already been arrested and booked in local jails.

"As of April 16, ICE had signed 456 Memorandums of Agreement for 287(g) programs covering 38 states, with task force agreements with 190 agencies in 23 states, including Wells."

https://mainemorningstar.com/2025/04/17/community-members-request-wells-police-terminate-contract-with-ice/