Michigan’s attorney general is co-leading a letter to Congress asking it to pass a law to keep Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers from hiding their identity while in the field.
ICE officers have received scrutiny in recent months for wearing plainclothes and masks and allegedly not identifying themselves as law enforcement during raids.
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said that’s alarming.
“Oftentimes is that ICE is not even coordinating with local or county law enforcement. So, when people have a question, say, ‘Oh my God, are these really ICE officers or not? Are they out here executing search warrants or conducting operations?’ Locals don’t even know about it,” she said.
Nessel said cases of people impersonating ICE officers to commit crimes have accompanied agents covering their faces.
The Trump administration has ramped up immigration enforcement as it reportedly set a 3,000-arrest per day target.
A handful of local law enforcement agencies in Michigan have already signed agreements to help ICE, according to Department of Homeland Security data. Other agencies not listed as having a 287(g) agreement, like Michigan State Police, may still be assisting ICE in the field.
Nessel said the masked tactics could make it difficult for Michigan law enforcement agencies working alongside their federal counterparts, noting Michigan law enforcement generally isn’t allowed to cover their faces while on duty.
“My agents? You know, we execute search warrants all the time. But they’re not masked when they do it and they’re absolutely identified as being special agents of the Department of the Attorney General. We should expect no less from ICE or any other federal agency,” Nessel said.
Despite the concerns, it’s unlikely the letter signed by 21 state attorneys general will spur any action by the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress.
Earlier this month, lawmakers approved a spending bill that included funding increases for a ramp up in immigration enforcement and hiring of more staff.
ICE has not responded to a request for a comment.
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