For Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Police officers doing their jobs ‘sends wrong message’..
According to some elected officials in Los Angeles, California, when ICE agents identify themselves as police to the immigrant community, it sends the wrong message. In a letter addressed to the ICE deputy field office director who handles immigration, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti—along with two other officials—claimed that when ICE agents identify themselves as police, they are unwittingly creating animosity between undocumented immigrants and the Los Angeles Police Department.
They claim that undocumented immigrants are valuable informants in investigations conducted by the LAPD. The mayor also doesn’t want the public to think that his officers are out policing immigrants based solely on the possibility that some are undocumented. This is just the latest battle with the policies that President Donald Trump has put in place regarding illegal immigration and ‘sanctuary cities.’
It seems like the Mayor Garcetti is grasping at straws looking for new ways to be offended; taking issue with the fact that ICE agents often wear “police” under “ICE” on their vests or outerwear doesn’t sound like a huge problem. The fact is that ICE agents are a part of the law enforcement community, employed by the United States Department of Homeland Security. They face many dangerous situations in their line of work, and strive tirelessly to carry out their mission. They’re charged with protecting the United States by policing its borders and enforcing laws pertaining to illegal immigration, a truly critical task.
To say that these professionals don’t deserve to identify themselves as police simply because they are not technically employed as members of the LAPD is absolutely disrespectful to those agents. It’s also extremely petty and uncalled for. His actions could have a huge impact on ICE agents and their ability to conduct their assignments in a safe manner. By publicly stating that ICE agents shouldn’t identify themselves as police, the mayor is essentially telling the immigrant community that they shouldn’t worry about what ICE agents say or do.
According to those with more knowledge on ICE operations than a mayor might have, identifying to immigrants as police works for more than one reason. Since the term police is pretty much universal, it helps in instances where there is a language barrier. It can also deter criminals from doing harm to the agents. It could be less likely that violence would occur if dangerous undocumented immigrants know they are dealing with law enforcement agents.
Regardless, arguing semantics seems to be counterproductive to the relationship between Los Angeles officials and the Department of Homeland Security, who need to work together and focus on fostering a good professional means of communication. President Trump has made illegal immigration a priority. This was one of his core campaign promises that inspired many people to get out and vote, some even for the first time. The political divisiveness in the United States should not bleed over into federal law enforcement matters when our officers need to remain focused and working hard to keep this country safe.
Angelina Newsom is an OpsLens Contributor and U.S. Army Veteran. She has ten years experience in the military, including a deployment to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. She studies Criminal Justice and is still active within the military community.
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