ICE agent: ". . . we're going to do whatever we want. . . ."

[tblue37]

Last edited Thu Mar 2, 2017, 11:31 AM - Edit history (1)

Immigration Enforcers, Unleashed By Trump, Can Finally ‘Do Our Jobs Again’
Agents said they felt constrained under Obama. Now, under Trump, they think they hold the power.

SNIP

ICE and Border Patrol agents anticipated they’d get more support under the new president, said Marielena Hincapié, executive director of the National Immigration Law Center.

Agents told immigrant rights advocates about “feeling really emboldened,” Hincapié said. “Like, ‘Wow, things could change, we’re going to do whatever we want, we agents will finally get to decide who gets deported and who doesn’t.’”

Today, “there is a clear ‘everything goes and everyone is a target’ culture in ICE,” said Greisa Martinez, advocacy director at the undocumented activist group United We Dream. “It’s the realization of the dreams of a lot of ICE agents that endorsed Trump.”

SNIP

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-immigration-border-deportations_us_58a49e7be4b0ab2d2b1b6ed3?section=us_politics

[Angry Dragon]

1. another step to a Trump Police State

[ck4829]

2. That's some hubris

[tblue37]

3. They are going after everyone now. nt

[tblue37]

4. More ICE atrocities:

ICE agents ambush Latino men spending the night in church hypothermia shelter

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/ice-agents-ambush-latino-men-spending-the-night-in-church-hypothermia-shelter/

[grantcart]

5. Not very credible IMO

I can tell you for a fact that ICE Agents and Border Patrol Agents to do not disclose anything to Immigrant Rights Advocates.

Second ICE and Border Patrol Agents number one concern is not to do something that is going to get them into an unnecessary disciplinary hearing and until they receive specific instructions to the contrary the current SOP are in effect. The one major thing that seems to have been changed is that ICE agents are still charged to prioritize Aliens with suspected criminal ties or felony convictions but can now detain anyone else that they find while on premise.

Finally everyone should realize that over the last 8 years we have seen the largest increase in Agents, especially in the Border Patrol, more than 7,000 and these now represent the majority of the force in the field. These agents are more than 50% Hispanic with many of them naturalized citizens and a very high percentage have wives that are naturalized citizens. They came in under the Obama administration and either supported the Obama rules or at the least didn't find them objectionable enough to leave.

So while I don't think that the "everything goes" was discussed or is true at this point it is clear that they no longer are considering family reunification as a critical element.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10028635372

An "anything goes" strategy by ICE would mean that they would go into Hispanic neighborhoods and dragnet as many random people as possible. That was done under Bush but not since then and hasn't been done yet. There was such a strong reaction I doubt that they will ever return to that.

[geek tragedy]

8. They're helping domestic abusers persecute their victims now.

Now if an abuser calls ICE against his victim, they'll arrest the victim.

They didn't support Trump in overwhelming numbers because they have fundamentally decent values.

[Blue_true]

6. The next President must gut that agency and hire new people top to bottom.

I am afraid that over the last 20 years, ICE has become populated by border vigilantes, that is clear now.

[geek tragedy]

7. ICE are a bunch of Gestapo wannabe jack-booted thugs

and mediocrities who couldn't hack it in the FBI.

Other than that, fine Americans and civil servants.