Since federal immigration agents began a nationwide wave of arrests, reports of unlawful detentions, abuse by authorities, and numerous lawsuits alleging human rights violations have surfaced daily.
Similar reports have emerged of individuals posing as U.S. immigration officers, taking advantage of immigrant communities and the current political climate to commit robberies, kidnappings, sexual assaults, and other abuses in several states.
An exclusive report by WIRED says a recent FBI bulletin issued in October urges law enforcement agencies to ensure that officers clearly identify themselves and cooperate when civilians request verification, including by allowing calls to local police precincts.
"Ensure law enforcement personnel adequately identify themselves during operations and cooperate with individuals who request further verification," the bulletin reads, according to a document obtained by the transparency nonprofit Property of the People and cited by WIRED.
The bulletin encourages agencies at every level to collaborate in distinguishing legitimate ICE operations from impersonations, framing the surge in fake officers as a national law enforcement issue.
Cases cited include kidnappings, street crimes, and sexual violence. In one Brooklyn case, a man posing as an immigration officer allegedly told a woman to move to a nearby stairwell, where he punched her, attempted to rape her, and stole her phone before police arrested him.
In another incident reported in August, three men wearing black tactical vests walked into a New York restaurant and claimed to be ICE agents. Once inside, they bound one worker's hands and pulled a garbage bag over the person's head. A second employee, believing the men were legitimate officers, complied with their orders but was kicked to the floor and restrained as the group stole cash from an ATM.
Among the indicators outlined by the FBI are forged or mismatched credentials, outdated protective gear, and vehicles displaying cloned markings. The bureau also called on agencies to develop outreach programs to identify fake ICE officers, a measure it says could strengthen public confidence in law enforcement and help rebuild trust.
Federal rules require officers to identify themselves and explain the reason for an arrest "as soon as it is practical and safe to do so," but advocates say this standard has been increasingly ignored during the Trump administration. Critics warn that when armed, masked officers conceal their identity, anyone can exploit the ambiguity to commit crimes without being questioned.
According to the FBI, ICE's "enhanced public profile" and its extensive media coverage have created conditions in which criminals can more easily carry out crimes by posing as immigration agents. Legal experts say the images of militarized, masked enforcement are being not only copied by criminals but also encouraged by policy itself.
Jeramie Scott, senior counsel at the civil-liberties nonprofit Electronic Privacy Information Center, says the administration's actions have worsened the problem and further eroded trust between the public and law enforcement.
"The Department of Homeland Security's supposed campaign against only the 'worst of the worst,' while upstanding community members are detained or deported and people are targeted for First Amendment-protected activities, undermines legitimacy," Scott says. "Wearing masks and snatching people off the street undermines legitimacy. It creates the expectation of federal officers who will aggressively treat anyone as a target and, as a result, creates the conditions for impersonators to leverage that expectation to commit crimes."
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