Mike German, an ex-FBI agent, said immigration agents hiding their identities ‘highlights the illegitimacy of actions’
Some wear balaclavas. Some wear neck gators, sunglasses and hats. Some wear masks and casual clothes.
Across the country, armed federal immigration officers have increasingly hidden their identities while carrying out immigration raids, arresting protesters and roughing up prominent Democratic critics.
It’s a trend that has sparked alarm among civil rights and law enforcement experts alike.
Mike German, a former FBI agent, said officers’ widespread use of masks was unprecedented in US law enforcement and a sign of a rapidly eroding democracy. “Masking symbolizes the drift of law enforcement away from democratic controls,” he said.
Would you think the same in another country? In Canada? Or in The Netherlands?
I don’t have experience with either of those places but when I was in Rome, Italy it was plainly obvious that the 5 or 6 different kinds of cops, none of whom were helping people, are useless thugs and goons just like the Americans.
But was there a situation where they were needed? Or were they standing doing nothing because there was nothing?
I have known multiple firefighters which were happy most of the time to get the support from the cops to handle the situation.
The cops I have seen were always doing something even if it were just patrolling. You can call that useless, but at least they are outside and can be called.