Proposed Legislation Would Prohibit Immigration Officials From Posing as Police [View all]

Proposed Legislation Would Prohibit Immigration Officials From Posing as Police
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Under the bill, officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection are barred from wearing clothing that bears the word police. State Rep. Mike Thompson, who co-authored the bill with Rep. Nydia Velázquez, D-New York, said the goal of the legislation is to ease mistrust of local police among immigrant families.

“When immigrant communities see ‘police’ on an ICE individual’s uniform … it creates problems. It puts people at risk,” Thompson told KQED. “If there’s an immigrant who is a victim of a crime, they’re reluctant to report it. If the police are trying to question an immigrant that’s a witness to a crime, they’re reluctant to get involved.”

According to the National Immigrant Justice Center, immigration enforcement will often introduce themselves as police officers even though they are not legally considered to be so. The resulting confusion can be detrimental to public safety, Thompson argued.

When people are unsure of whether a police officer is actually an immigration official, it sours the relationship between local law enforcement and the communities they’re supposed to serve, he said. By prohibiting ICE agents and other officials from wearing uniforms that say ‘police,’ the trust between police officers and community members can be rebuilt.
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https://www.kqed.org/news/12044352/proposed-legislation-would-prohibit-immigration-officials-from-posing-as-police