With President Donald Trump as the recent president elect, immigration enforcement efforts have become increasingly present and are now taking a toll on American everyday life. With the rise of ICE deportation, impersonators of the officers have also popped up around the country. .
Authorities across three states have arrested people for trying to impersonate Immigration officers.
ICE stands for Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. It is one of the U.S. federal agencies tasked with enforcing immigration laws, investigating criminal activities, and ensuring national security. As part of its operations, ICE utilizes a variety of investigative techniques, including impersonation, to catch individuals who are suspected of violating immigration laws or participating in other illegal activities.
One of the most common ways that ICE agents impersonate individuals is through undercover operations. In these cases, ICE agents assume false identities or pretend to be members of criminal organizations to gather intelligence or apprehend suspects involved in human trafficking, drug smuggling, or immigration related crimes.
ICE agents sometimes impersonate officials to investigate immigration fraud. This might involve creating fake documentation or posing as government employees offering services like citizenship applications or visa assistance.
Another method ICE uses is to conduct investigations under the guise of conducting routine inspections or even pretending to be potential clients or partners of a business. By impersonating an employer, ICE agents can assess whether a company is hiring workers who are unauthorized to work in the U.S. or if they are violating labor laws in relation to immigration.
The first person to get caught for impersonations was Sean-Michael Johnson, a 33-year-old living in South Carolina. Johnson was charged with both kidnapping and impersonating a police officer. He kidnapped a group of Latino men and was caught through a video that one of the victims recorded.
In the video, Johnson was being extremely aggressive and racist towards the men. Another person guilty of impersonation was a Temple University student, Aidan Steigelmann.
He was desperate to get entrance into the residence hall, but was denied access even wearing the police uniform.
As a result, he began to mess with a local business. He was caught and arrested. The University has him on “interim suspension.”
People are beginning to take advantage of ICE and trying to get away with impersonating them and police officers.
ICE has always been at the center of policy changes and the topic of many political discussions.
Critics argue that their method often leads to the separation of innocent families and individuals who pose no threat to our public safety. Supporters of the stricter enforcement think ICE plays a beneficial role in maintaining integrity and protecting national security.
People will always debate over immigration policies and it’s clear that enforcing laws and respecting the dignity and right of individuals is a complex challenge, but will continue to evolve as higher-ups and the public come to agreements.