ICE Officials Send Statement to Nielsen, Ask For Agency to Dissolve

It seems as though the criticism surrounding the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency and its immigration policies throughout the past few weeks has been effective and could bring some change to legislation in their department.

Several internal special agents and investigators sent a joint statement to Homeland Security Secretary Kristjen Nielsen, expressing their concerns about the future of ICE. They stated that the President’s recent actions regarding immigrant families have conflicted with the proper execution of their job, which involves searching for national security threats and transnational crime. As many politicians have suggested, they recommend that ICE should be dissolved. They also supported the creation of a separate entity for the investigations.

They addressed the backlash they faced after the implementation of the “zero-tolerance” policy. The letter stated that the agency’s actions and investigations “have been perceived as targeting undocumented aliens, instead of the transnational criminal organizations that facilitate cross-border crimes impacting our communities and national security.” It has also been reported that some border officials are unsure that the agency is truly independent following the previous aggressive policy created by the Trump administration.

The proposition to dissolve ICE was met with support from House Democrats Mark Pocan (Wisconsin) and Pramila Jayapal (Washington), as well as New York primary winner Alexandria Ocasio Cortez. Cortez has gone as far as to propose the dismantling of the ICE as one of her campaign promises.

One of the ICE’s most controversial departments is Enforcement and Removal Operations, which focuses on arresting, detaining and deporting immigrants. They are seen negatively by other departments within the same agency, which are more focused on investigative actions.

Some agents have theorized that the Trump Administration has given more priority and focus to departments focused on deportations, despite the ICE director disagreeing with the White House’s immigration legislation. The investigative departments have engaged in some of the most extensive and high-profile criminal investigations in recent memory, such as the takedown of the Silk Road illegal online market and the capture of “El Chapo.”

This statement comes shortly after the beginning of protests all across the country outside of ICE offices. Protesters marched outside of the buildings, repeating chants such as “Quit your jobs!”

One of the most notable protests took place outside of the agency’s headquarters in Washington D.C., where several participants stated that they had left their jobs temporarily and were aware that they could potentially be arrested. They confronted some of the officials outside the buildings about the state of separated families along the U.S.-Mexico border and attempted to block the entrance to the facilities.

President Trump was eager to show his disapproval of these protests. He also condemned the recent publication of ICE’s employees’ identities and addresses, which were provided by Wikileaks. During a North Dakota rally, he stated:

These radical Democrat protesters really want anarchy, but the only response they will find from our government is very strong law and order. Extremist Democrat politicians have called for complete elimination of ICE. You know what would happen to parts of our country? It would be overrun.”

These remarks have raised suspicions and concerns, as it is believed that his administration is attempting to use the agency as an enforcer of its fast-changing immigration policies.

It is not surprising that ICE officials themselves want to become more separate from the government, as it is believed that the White House’s measures come with very few previous instructions. This was exemplified during the rollout of President Trump’s executive order last week, when the administration did not provide any identification information about the children for officials all across the country to enforce the expected reunion with their families.

Featured Image via Wikimedia Commons