Traditional law enforcement officers identify themselves, patrol in marked cars, show their faces, and in many cities have worked diligently to gain public trust, especially in traditionally over-policed communities.
Their work is being undone by the Trump administration’s recruitment of legitimate law enforcement officers to aid deportation. We should NOT place police who still want to protect and serve in this lawless melee.
I.C.E (Immigration and Customs Enforcement, sometimes referred to as Border Patrol, although U.S. Customs & Border Protection is a different agency; both agencies are within the Dept. of Homeland Security, however) has killed eight people so far in 2026 (https://www.theguardian.com/ us-news/2026/jan/28/deaths-ice-2026-.) Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti are the highest profile, likely because they were White, whereas the others killed were Black or Brown.
While campaigning in 2024, Presi- dent Donald Trump promised to prioritize deporting violent criminals. However, in January 2025, 36% of those detained by ICE had NO criminal records. In January 2026, 71% of those detained had no criminal record, not even a traffic violation (https://factually. co/fact-checks/justice/ proportion-ice-detaineesprior- deportation-reentryconvictions- vs-us-criminalconvictions- 2025-2026-c308d4.) In January 2025 about 15,000 people were in ICE detention; in January 2026, almost 60,000 are in detention (https://www.factcheck. org/2026/01/as-ice-arrestsincreased- a-higher-portionhad- no-u-s-criminal-record/.) Of the 238 men sent to a brutal Salvadoran prison in March of last year, more than half of them had no criminal record. Worse, Homeland Security records reveal the officials were aware of this (https://www.propublica. org/article/trump-el-salvador- deportees-criminal-convictions- cecot-venezuela.)
On the web site www. dhs.gov, the Department of Homeland Security (DSH) alleges “With honor and integrity, we will safeguard the American people, our homeland, and our values.” But this is not lived reality.
Federal ICE and border patrol officers break car windows; forcibly drag people from their cars; use tear gas, flashbangs, pepper spray, and lethal force against those exercising their First-Amendment right to protest; leave cars abandoned on highways; ignore the laws of due process and habeas corpus; arrest immigrants when they show up at scheduled immigration check- ins; and now assert the power to forcibly enter homes without a warrant.
This level of lawlessness must not stand. Aside from the incredible taxpayer burden of funding deportation, we must consider our moral obligation to the immigrants who are trying valiantly to get through the expensive, drawn-out, inconsistent process of gaining residency.
We must not be at the mercy of a state that arrests, kills, detains, or deports people just because it can. Now, all of us with passports that prove citizenship must stand up for everyone in our community, whether they are completely documented or not.
Please call your federal Senators: Markwayne Mullin, 202.224.4721, and James Lankford, 202.224.5754 to plead with them to rein in ICE. You will only be able to speak to a staff member, but our calls do matter.