LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Attorney General Dana Nessel, along with 20 other attorneys general, are calling on the U.S. Congress to crack down on the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) practices.
Nessel co-led the coalition of attorneys general with New York Attorney General Letitia James. Together, they are calling on Congress to prohibit ICE agents from wearing masks to conceal their identity. Additionally, the attorneys general want Congress to require ICE to show their identification and agency-identifying insignia.
Letter to Congress.
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In their letter to Congress, the attorneys general claimed that “such legislation is necessary to protect the public, ensure accountability, and preserve the reputation and effectiveness of law enforcement at every level of government.”
“The concealment of officers’ identities limits the ability of individuals to challenge unlawful government acts, stripping our citizens of their basic rights to hold government actors accountable,” the letter said.
Current ICE practices contradict Michigan law, according to a press release.
“Normalizing the practice of using masked agents who do not identify themselves is not just a shocking escalation of unscrupulous police tactics – it also presents a significant danger for residents and officers alike,” Nessel said. “It is only a matter of time before an officer is hurt resisting what appears to be a kidnapping, or before bad actors start simulating this behavior to apprehend whomever they want.”
ICE press release.
In a recent press release, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez said its agents are working “tirelessly around the clock targeting dangerous criminal aliens to restore integrity to our nation’s immigration system and bolster public safety in our communities.”
DHS reports.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported that ICE agents are facing an 830% increase in assaults due to Democratic members of Congress doxing and physically assaulting these agents, according to a press release.
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“Just this week, Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA) showed a violent mob an ICE employee’s business card, putting a target on his back and prompting the mob to attack him,” DHS reported. “The official was struck by a rock and sent to the emergency room where he received multiple stitches.”
Earlier this year, Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) “trespassed on and stormed the Delaney Hall detention facility, where she proceeded to physically assault an ICE officer. She has been indicted on federal assault charges.”