Experts say trend of agents detaining people while masking and wearing plainclothes increases risk

Police in southern California arrested a man suspected of posing as a federal immigration officer this week, the latest in a series of such arrests, as masked, plainclothes immigration agents are deployed nationwide to meet the Trump administration’s mass deportation targets.

Mike German, a former FBI agent and fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, told the Guardian last week that the shootings of two Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota, by a suspect who allegedly impersonated a police officer, highlights the danger of police not looking like police.

“Federal agents wearing masks and casual clothing significantly increases this risk of any citizen dressing up in a way that fools the public into believing they are law enforcement so they can engage in illegal activity. It is a public safety threat, and it’s also a threat to the agents and officers themselves, because people will not immediately be able to distinguish between who is engaged in legitimate activity or illegitimate activity when violence is occurring in public,” he said.

  • FartsWithAnAccent
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    989 days ago

    This is one of many reasons why running around in a mask with no identification is a recipe for disaster and tragedy, especially with a nation that has more guns than people.

    Plus, what’s to stop a bunch of terrorists from dressing up like ICE and doing whatever they want?

    • Bone
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      449 days ago

      Terrorists dressed up as terrorists. What will they think of next!

    • @Almacca@aussie.zone
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      309 days ago

      Plus, what’s to stop a bunch of terrorists from dressing up like ICE and doing whatever they want?

      Absolutely nothing, and yet people will still act all surprised when it inevitably happens.

    • @Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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      138 days ago

      Plus, what’s to stop a bunch of terrorists from dressing up like ICE and doing whatever they want?

      That’s just called ICE.

  • @foggy@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    Here’s your justification for requiring ice agents to identify and unmask.

    There is precedent for any 2a advocate to stand their ground until a warrant is served.

    • @parody@lemmings.world
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      139 days ago

      Not any 2a advocate, those willing to be heroes while accepting their freedom and/or heartbeat may be permanently restricted

      2a advocates prob w/o [small] children, who can stomach dOmEStiC TeRrOiSM charges

      (It’s a friendly reminder the enemy has no morals, no qualms about putting you away in a box or slightly larger box, that’s all—they’ve done it before, they salivate at the thought of doing it again)

      • @Guidy@lemmy.world
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        28 days ago

        Yeah people love to fantasize that once you own a gun you no longer value your own life or have any family counting on you, and now you only exist to kill bad guys or else everything they ever thought bad about gun owners is true.

    • @Johnmannesca@lemmy.world
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      18 days ago

      2a also encompasses a well regulated militia, which doesn’t mean wear civilian clothing and masks with no display of name, rank or any identification either.

  • aramis87
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    289 days ago

    There was a NYT article about three different incidents of ice impersonators back in February.

  • DominusOfMegadeus
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    279 days ago

    The cops in the HBO series Watchmen, all wore masks to protect their identities. And that series definitely depicted a perfect society with zero flaws, right?

    • @MuskyMelon@lemmy.world
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      68 days ago

      At least they wore uniforms. I laugh at these larpers who have night vision and torch attachments to their helmets and guns at 10am in the morning. That’s how you can tell who’s the larper.

  • @MuskyMelon@lemmy.world
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    198 days ago

    Federal agents wearing masks and casual clothing significantly increases this risk of any citizen dressing up in a way that fools the public into believing they are law enforcement

    Were these idiots dropped on their heads as babies???

    Don’t you think there’s a reason “boys in blue” wear blue uniforms???

    Of course this fucking shit will happen when you hire larpers to be gestapo!!!

    • @Mirshe@lemmy.world
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      168 days ago

      No no, this is what they wanted.. They want a society where you can see some rando with a pistol, a vest and a mask and go “yes officer”, because the cruelty and fear is the point.

  • @dan1101@lemmy.world
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    168 days ago

    Arrest the ICE agents too unless they have identification and can show legal cause to be detaining their victims.

  • @UncleGrandPa@lemmy.world
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    88 days ago

    One of the more effective Fascist controls of the population is the use of extra judicial violence that can be “unofficially” applied to the people by the use of semi official organizations

  • mechoman444
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    88 days ago

    What! No! Say it ain’t so! How did we not see this coming!

    Over weight law enforcement officers parading around in bargin bin tactical gear with no identification and ski masks?!?!

    Why would anyone ever want to impersonate these easily identifiable people!

  • masterofn001
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    28 days ago

    I guess that’s the solution.

    Since they don’t provide ID, “ICE” agents can be arrested. And since one can assume, via the supreme court decision of “fuck your due process”, these masked terrorists who must be Venezuelan Iranian terrorists, can be deported without hearing to the middle of the fucking ocean.

    Thanks, supreme court!