US sees arrests of civilians who imitate ice officials | US Police

Southern California police arrested a man suspected of posing as a federal immigration officer this week, the latest in a series of arrests, including masked plainclothes immigration agents deployed within the country Trump administrationmass eviction target.

The man, Fernando Diaz, was arrested by Huntington Park Police, who said they found a gun with a gun and formal documents in his SUV, whose Department of Homeland Security titled According to NBC Los Angeles. Officers were seizing his vehicle to park in the handicap area when Diaz asked to retrieve the items inside. NBC reported that there were “unregistered copy of passport” among items seen by officials in the car.

Diaz was arrested for possession of the alleged unregistered firearm and released on bail.

Huntington Park Police Chief and Mayor accused Diaz of pretending to be an immigration agent at a press conference, and Diaz later told NBC News affiliates that he was surprised.

Diaz also denied that he was raised by officers in Border Patrol or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). During the press conference, police showed them the journalist paper they found in his car with formal U.S. Customs and Border Protection titles.

The arrests are one of several cases involving alleged impersonation of immigration officials, as the nationwide crackdown on undocumented immigrants is intensifying.

expert Warned Federal agents have added cover-up practices while conducting immigration attacks and arrests, making it easier for impostors to become federal officials.

All over the country, ice officers emerging from unmarked cars in plain clothes will become increasingly common.

For example, in March, a Tufts University student was seen in a video of a masked ice officer arrested outside her apartment, after her visa was revoked after writing an opinion piece in her university newspaper. Many federal agents operating in the Los Angeles area have been covered up in recent weeks.

In late January, a week after Trump took office, a South Carolina man was arrested and charged with kidnapping and imitating an officer who allegedly was an ice officer and detained a group of Latino men.

In February, two people imitating the ice officer tried Enter Temple University dormitory. CNN Report Philadelphia police later arrested one of the students, a 22-year-old student, accused of imitating an officer.

The same week, another man, Carl Thomas Bennett, was arrested in North Carolina, allegedly suspected of pretending to be an ice officer and being sexually assaulted a woman. Bennett Reportedly threatening to expel the woman If she doesn’t comply.

In April, a man in Indiana, Florida was arrested for pretending to be an ice officer and targeting immigrants. Two people reported the man to the police False traffic parkingand then ask for their documents and immigration status.

Former FBI agent and researcher at the Brennan Center for Justice Mike de der De der De der De der De der De der De der De der De der De der De der De der De der De der De der De der De der De der De der De Two Democratic lawmakers In Minnesota, alleged suspect imitate One police officer stressed the danger that the police did not look like a policeman.

Federal agents wearing masks and casual clothing greatly increase the risk of any citizen dressing up, making the public think they are law enforcement so that they can engage in illegal activities. It is a threat, it is a threat to public safety, it is also a threat to brokers and officials, because it is a public competition when people cannot immediately engage in public activities or continue to engage in illegal activities.