US: What tactics is ICE using to deceive undocumented immigrants during arrests?

Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in Tucson, Arizona, are facing allegations of impersonating utility workers while attempting to locate and detain an undocumented immigrant. 

The incident reportedly took place in a south Tucson neighborhood on Wednesday morning.

According to local resident Christine Cariño, two individuals appeared wearing Tucson Electric Power (TEP)-style clothing and asked questions about a Honduran man who has lived in the area for more than a decade. 

Cariño told the New York Post that the men said they were responding to a request for a city service estimate.

“He said, ‘We’re trying to find somebody that wanted a free estimate,’" Cariño said. 

She became suspicious when she noticed that the men’s clothing did not match typical TEP uniforms. 

One wore a reflective shirt, while the other was in a plain black t-shirt. Cariño said she spotted a badge under one man's shirt and asked whether they were from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The men were later allowed into the property’s garden by the resident’s stepson. Cariño, who witnessed the interaction, began warning others nearby: 

“Don’t open the door, they don’t have a warrant!” she yelled, a moment captured in video obtained by local outlet KGUN 9.

 “They’re lying, they’re not in a uniform!”

Under US law, immigration agents must have occupant consent or a signed warrant to enter a residence.

 Witnesses allege the individuals misrepresented themselves in order to gain entry.

This tactic has drawn national scrutiny in the past. A 2020 complaint by the ACLU of California alleged that immigration enforcement officers have posed as delivery drivers or contractors to conduct arrests, calling the practice unconstitutional. 

That case remains unresolved.

Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/latest-updates/what-tactics-is-ice-using-to-deceive-undocumented-immigrants-during-arrests/articleshow/121592244.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst