Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) has adopted a new tactic of using unmarked SUVs and plainclothes agents to conduct covert deportations, sparking widespread fear across the United States. Community groups and chat threads are now buzzing with warnings about Ice sightings, with residents sharing descriptions of undercover vehicles and locations of arrests.
The agency, once a routine law enforcement body, has become a key instrument of Donald Trump's agenda, according to critics. Border crossings are at historic lows, but the fear of Ice raids has led to fans avoiding international soccer tournaments, taco truck workers being arrested, and crops rotting in fields due to a shortage of farmhands.
In one high-profile case, a four-year-old US citizen with cancer was deported to Honduras along with their family. Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, defended the action, stating that the parents' illegal entry justified the deportation, regardless of the child's citizenship or medical condition.
Legal experts question the boundaries of Ice's mandate. Columbia University law professor Jeffrey Fagan noted that while federal agencies should focus narrowly on immigration matters, the line blurs when local police become involved in protests against Ice actions. In Los Angeles, protests over mass roundups led to the deployment of 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 active-duty Marines, despite state objections.
The FBI arrested a Wisconsin judge in late April for allegedly obstructing immigration authorities. Meanwhile, Democratic politicians have seized on the issue, with California Senator Alex Padilla and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander both being arrested while challenging Ice operations.
