There’s fucked-up shit, and then there’s this. According to numerous reports, people are buying cheap gear online and impersonating federal immigration agents—ICE agents, specifically—in order to terrorize immigrants, in one instance ordering a man to hand over cash or be “deported,” and another time walking into a Spanish-speaking church to photograph congregants. Another deplorable is a convicted felon who is also facing child porn charges. Yes, this is what Donald Trump has emboldened:
The trend goes coast-to-coast: In California, New York, and Virginia, individuals wearing fake ICE paraphernalia have already put communities on edge. In at least one case, they also demanded that an undocumented immigrant hand over $250 to avoid getting deported:
In February, a group of four men wearing ICE jackets approached an immigrant man in Woodside, Queens and told him he’d be deported unless he gave them money, a city councilman said. The man, who officials did not name in order to protect his family, handed over $250 before fleeing.
In San Francisco, a city employee used his government-issued vehicle to drive to a local church and harass the Spanish-speaking congregants inside. “His jacket had ‘ICE’ written on it with an official looking emblem or seal on the back,” said Police Lt. Raffaello Pata.
Impersonating officers is illegal, but because this man never said outright that he was an agent, “police concluded he hadn’t actually violated the law. Officers told the East Bay Times that they would forward the case to the Marin County District Attorney’s Office for additional review.” And, there’s no word yet if he’s out of a job for using government resources for his terror spree. How’s that for some bullshit?
Others, thankfully, are facing serious consequences for their deplorable actions:
Both police and the FBI say 35-year-old Itai Ozderman from Gaithersburg potentially impersonated both local and immigration police in and around the northern Virginia area for an unknown amount of time.
They say he was seen attempting to enforce criminal law, despite having no law enforcement background. Investigators say he was seen sporting a ballistic vest, similar to one worn by immigration officers.
The FBI and police raided Ozderman’s home and “found a number of handguns, tactical gear, and even a Baltimore County police badge.” He will face trial for a felony and two misdemeanors for officer impersonation.
In Florida, convicted felon Villemure Oliveira faces child porn charges after police initially arrested him for impersonating a federal immigration agent. Investigators found the images while searching his house:
Detectives said he would dress up as an ICE agent – Glock included – and patrol his neighborhood.
According to the arrest report, Villemure Oliveira would pull over other vehicles and detain minors by flashing red and blue lights at them.
Police said Villemure Oliveira confessed to the crime, citing he did it “for the thrill of it” and he chose to impersonate an ICE agent because he “has always been passionate about immigrants coming into this country illegally.”
“Passionate”? That sounds familiar. Oh, that’s right, when two Donald Trump supporters beat the shit out of a homeless Latino man in Boston in 2015, then-candidate described them as “passionate.”
The Outline:
But there’s no way for Etsy sellers, or for the company itself, to control what people do with the items they purchase on the website. Even if a seller has a disclaimer on their listing for a “POLICE ICE” shirt, there’s nothing stopping someone from buying fake ICE gear online and using it to harass immigrant communities.
James Schwab, a spokesperson for ICE’s field office in San Francisco, said anyone approached by a person claiming to be an ICE officer can ask to see a badge and credentials — but you can buy fake ICE badges online, too.