ICE Chief Against Journalist Inquiries on Masked Agents Abducting People
Acting ICE head Todd Lyons criticized a Washington Post article questioning why ICE agents conceal their identities during arrests, arguing that the use of plainclothes officers is standard practice and citing a purported 413% increase in assaults on ICE officers. This statistic, however, lacks verifiable supporting evidence and appears to be used to deflect criticism of ICE tactics. The article’s author highlighted the arrest of a Turkish PhD student as an example of concerning behavior by masked, plainclothes officers. The use of masks and plainclothes, critics argue, hinders accountability for potentially unlawful actions.
John Q. Hosedrinker