Democrats in Congress have refused to authorize partial funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) unless DHS agrees to certain policy changes in how ICE and other DHS agents interact with the US populace. As we know, ICE/BPA agents have injured, shot and, in two cases, killed people in Minnesota. Both people killed were US citizens and others who have been shot or seriously injured were also US citizens.
The approach that these federal agents have taken in dealing with the populace seems to be to induce terror. To do this, they all dress in black, they wear masks, the carry assault weapons, they refuse to identify themselves, and they go into people’s homes without a judicial search warrant. Plus, a number of other total unorthodox actions of law enforcement officers. Democrats, to their credit, have said that DHS must make significant changes in how they conduct themselves when interacting with US citizens and with undocumented aliens such that they adhere to the same policy guidelines as other law enforcement agencies.
They have listed 10 policies changes they want made as a condition of approving funding for DHS.
Among them are:
- Agents must have a search warrant signed by a judge before they can search a person’s home. (In America, used to be that “a man’s home is his castle”.)
- Agents must identify themselves
- Agents must wear body cameras.
- Agents may not wear masks
- Place into law a reasonable use of force policy and train federal officers to follow it.
The Republicans have said that they will not agree to any of these changes. So we ask the Red Team, do you really want police officers to be able to search your home without a search warrant signed by a judge?
Would you not find it terrifying if men pulled you over wearing masks, carrying weapons, and refusing to identify themselves as law officers?
Let’s focus on the mask issue. In many cases, ICE agents are no longer wearing masks. Instead, they are pretending to be tradesmen and are wearing the appropriate attire and have been renting company vehicles from real trade companies such as electricians and plumbers – they are doing this so that they are better able to sneak up on people.