There is a big difference between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) members and local police officers when it comes to their roles and training. Therefore, ICE members should not be allowed to tag themselves as local police.
What differentiates the local police officers from members of ICE? ICE is the implementation arm of the Department of Homeland Security, and its agents are federal law enforcement officers. Azadeh Shashahani, legal and advocacy director for Project South in Atlanta, says, "ICE agents obviously have a specific mission. They work for the Department of Homeland Security, and its mission is immigration enforcement."
ICE’s job is to deal with non-citizens. When it comes to imprisonment, a non-citizen arrested on state or local charges can be questioned and detained at an immigrant detention center, sometimes resulting in deportation. When it is a matter to do with a local citizen, local police are in charge of enforcing laws. The police represent local jurisdictions. Their work involves patrolling neighborhoods and taking action when they observe law violations in the communities that they serve.
There have been reports of #ICE agents claiming to be local police when carrying out enforcement activities, which is an act of intentional false identification. Some ICE agents have even alleged they are from specific police departments or squads. This jeopardizes immigrants and New Yorkers' willingness to cooperate with the Local Police on critical issues involving public safety and local law enforcement, and complicates criminal investigations for NYPD officers, threatening the trust built between the police and immigrants over the years.
In a case in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, an immigration agent was caught on camera trying to enter an apartment while wearing an NYPD jacket. This is an act of impersonation that is punishable by law. New York politicians are also against the behavior. According to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and City Council Members Ydanis Rodriguez and Carlos Menchaca, "This is a violation of our law. You cannot state that you are a municipal police officer. You cannot violate the law to carry out the law."
The rise in these cases forced former New York Mayor Bill de Blasio to address the issue, calling on ICE agents to stop suggesting that they are NYPD officers. This step is commendable. New Jersey Senator Cory Booker has re-introduced a bill that would make this intentional misrepresentation illegal, as it should be.
To avoid confusion between ICE and the Local Police, the immigration agents must desist from suggesting that they are police officers. Continuing to do so will only further compromise the reputation of the New York City Police Department, and any other department facing a similar situation.
