ICE actions are cruel, inhumane, and illegal

The United States has 52 million immigrants, most of whom are here legally.

Trump, during his campaign, promised to expel a million people a year, starting with violent criminals. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) has kidnapped and detained 66,000 individuals, 50% of whom have no criminal record. The percent who have a record of violent criminality is less than 10%. Detainees are being held only on civil violation for immigration issues, including green cards.

How is ICE collecting and treating immigrant detainees?

As married couples come to court for legal green card interviews, agents arrest and handcuff the foreign-born spouses and send them to detention centers.  None of the spouses had criminal records.

ICE pulls legal immigrants from court hearings, separates them from their families, and physically mistreats them as shown on camera footage.  

Videos show masked ICE agents arresting immigrants, pinning protesters to the ground, smashing car windows, and dragging suspected undocumented immigrants away from their families. 

During peaceful citizen protests, ICE agents are shown using tear gas and throwing pepper balls at people’s heads.  One judge ruled it illegal to throw tear gas or pepper balls. But ICE agents appear to believe that laws do not apply to them.

Who are these masked men?  Certainly, they are not “Lone Rangers” fighting for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.  Current filmed ICE actions show a lack of morality and constitutionality in taking immigrants.

Detainees are manacled and held for 10-70 days before release. They are held in overcrowded cells, cruelly treated and forced to defecate in front of detainees and guards.

Recently, Homeland Security Director Kristi Noem announced to recruit more agents, ICE will remove all applicant age requirements, offer Student Loan forgiveness, provide lucrative overtime packages and offer selective $50,000 signing bonuses so that ICE will have enough agents to arrest anyone they suspect is an illegal immigrant.

Understand that Due Process is not just a constitutional right afforded only to citizens; legal restrictions on unlawful detention apply to all people (citizens and non-citizen immigrants) on U.S. soil.  Currently our legal process has deteriorated with this administration and federal ICE agents not respecting and not complying with our own laws.

Contact your Congressperson and Senators and demand that they enact laws placing restrictions on illegal ICE arrests, requiring that ICE afford Due Process to all detainees and stopping cruel and inhumane detention.

Images of what is happening in Minnesota as of January 14th - from MotherJones.com.

Ken Peterson                                                                                                                                                         MAJ U.S. Army (Ret.)                                                                                                                                             Buchanan