ICE will now be requiring its agents to wear identifying clothing when they’re making arrests. That’s a very small win when what we really need is the abolishment of the agency, but I’m always being reminded that I need to look on the bright side of life 🤷♂️
This quote from an anonymous ICE official is journalistic gold:
“What an embarrassment the Vegas video was,” said the second ICE official, who also requested anonymity. “Those two fucking clowns should’ve been immediately fired. Half these fucking new DOs” — deportation officers — “don’t even know the basics of immigration law or how to process an alien. They hired a bunch of fucking clowns and they look sloppy as shit.”
Karl Loftus, “ICE Mandates Dress Code After Killings and Botched Arrest”However, I don’t believe for a moment that this move is for civilian safety or even for professionalism. Here’s what I think happened:
We’re seeing more community resistance to ICE operations and arrests. ICE officials watched the circulating videos of that botched arrest at the Las Vegas airport and suddenly realized that their sloppy secret police tactics present a legitimate defense in court for people who interfere with arrests: “We didn’t know they were law enforcement officers.”
The dress code change and the requirement to display a badge while making arrests is to guarantee that the prosecution can convict people who interfere with future arrests.
I’m not very good at finding the bright side of things, eh? 😅