(NewsNation) — Impersonators pretending to be immigration agents are spreading fear among migrants already uncertain about their future in the country.
Cases of illegitimate Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been reported across the country. Some have been charged with federal criminal crimes of impersonating a federal law enforcement agent.
In Florida, a 23-year-old man was recently arrested and charged when police said that he claimed to be an ICE agent and threatened to deport two men after he pulled their vehicle over and demanded their identification.
A 33-year-old South Carolina man was arrested in January after he was accused of stopping a vehicle with Latino men inside and claimed to be with ICE. Video of the encounter involving Sean Michael Johnson allegedly claiming that Latinos were “going back to Mexico” went viral.
Johnson was charged with three counts of kidnapping, impersonating a law enforcement officer, petty larceny and assault and battery.
In North Carolina, a 37-year-old man purported to be an ICE agent and allegedly sexually assaulted a woman at a local hotel, saying he would have her deported if she did not have sex with him, NewsNation local affiliate WBTV reported.
In North Dakota, a man posing as an ICE agent walked an inmate out of a local jail after telling officials he was there to pick him up. Jail officials only learned of the mistake when the real immigration officer showed up.
But such cases are only hurting legitimate efforts by ICE, which reported in March it had arrested more than 32,800 people in the first 50 days of President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House.
“ICE works very hard on its image — an image that is constantly being torn apart by the open border and (the) Abolish ICE movement,” John Fabbricatore, a retired chief of the Denver ICE field office, told NewsNation. “Impersonators tarnish that image and create an even more resistive relationship with ICE.”
Warnings of ICE impersonators
California Attorney General Rob Bonta recently warned residents to protect themselves after new reports of ICE impersonators and other immigration-related scams were reported.
Bonta said that “bad actors” and scammers have sought to capitalize on “the fear and uncertainty created by the Trump administration’s racist rhetoric and destructive immigration policies.”
Last month, Bonta warned Californians about an uptick in criminal activity and scams related to immigration enforcement.
“Let me be clear: If you seek to scam or otherwise take advantage of California’s immigrant communities, you will be held accountable,” Bonta said. “My office will continue to ensure our laws are fully enforced and the rights of California’s immigrants are respected and protected.”
In February, Temple University officials in Philadelphia warned students after three people — including two who were wearing black T-shirts with the words “Police” and “ICE” printed on them — attempted to enter a university residence hall but were denied access. Police are looking for a third person seen on camera recording interactions between the three people and Temple students.
Two students were suspended in the incident, and one of the students was charged with impersonating a public servant. School officials said harassment of members of the university community will not be tolerated.
After Johnson was arrested near Charleston, South Carolina, earlier this year, The Charleston Hispanic Association told NewsNation local affiliate WCIV that concerns have increased over migrant safety. Johnson’s family, meanwhile, has told police officials that he struggles with mental health issues.
“The big fear when it all started is that ICE is after anybody and almost sounds like racial profiling,” Enrique Grace, the organization’s chief financial officer, told the station. “If you look Latin, we’re going to stop you. If you look like an immigrant, we’re going to stop you. And that’s not the case. And it’s kind of gone overboard.”
Fabbricatore, the retired ICE field office chief, said that impersonators can be very damaging to legitimate ICE activity. An ICE spokesman said that the agency “strongly condemns” the impersonation of its agents and that those doing so can face local, state and federal charges.
How ICE impersonators drive migrant fears
The increase in ICE attention and agent impersonations has put the onus on immigrant communities to protect migrants who may become targets for bad actors, Colleen Putzel-Kavanaugh, an associate policy analyst with the Migration Policy Institute, said.
In addition to migrants already being aware of increased immigration enforcement by federal agencies, ICE impersonators have added to the growing list of concerns, she told NewsNation.
Putzel-Kavanaugh, like Bonta, said migrants need to know their rights and to understand how they can protect themselves by asking an agent for their badge number and name before cooperating.
Still, anxiety remains high even among those who have been instructed about how to handle themselves during encounters with ICE.
“The increase in enforcement operations that we’ve seen and surely, the increase in (migrant) arrests has already caused an immense chilling effect on immigrant communities,” Putzel-Kavanaugh said. “So, this adds certainly another layer to that chilling effect that already exists. This isn’t necessarily new, but it adds to a culture of concern and fear that people are living in.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
