Some states, counties and local leaders have been seeking masking federal agents amid ongoing enforcement efforts, and a few have become violent.
In early June, around 4,000 members of the California State Guard, 700 active US Marines, and an unknown number of federal officials in immigration and customs enforcement and customs and border security came down to Los Angeles, with many noting how the latter two agencies usually wear masks during enforcement violations.
At a tense meeting last week of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the issue of a masked man who may or may not be a federal agent, detained residents, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Director Katherine Berger, the board’s sole Republican, said staff member Godson was pulled by two men in an unmarked car with flashing lights and said he had “a nice truck for those with a last name.”
“I’ll tell you this because I don’t know if they’re ice agents or not,” she said. “I believe there are people who use this group to impersonate ice.”
Supervisor Holly Mitchell said it was unclear to her if federal agents were repeatedly watching “half-faced SKI-type masks in LA in the summer,” and the board proposed to support a bill proposed by state lawmakers banning members of law enforcement, including federal agents.
(Left to right): Federal immigration officers seen in Pico Rivera next to a photo of an anti-immigrant enforcement protester arrested by the FBI. (ig @cameramanoscar/fbi)
On Saturday, as many as seven masked agents were seen in the violent arrest of a Santa Ana man.
Last week, a 20-year-old US citizen was seen in a violent struggle with half a dozen masked federal agents in Pico Rivera after it was reportedly punched one of them in the face during enforcement operations. According to his lawyers, the young Walmart employee was released about three days later and has not yet been charged with assault.
Dozens of Heavy Armed Ice Agents Flock to the Popular LA County Swap Tournament
In Huntington Park, four pregnant mothers, a US citizen and her children were forced into the driveway after not searching for the home for their husband during DHS Sec. Christie Noem, looking from the street, denounced what he called “mask abductions.”
“These are not legal arrests. They are aidulation,” Mayor Arturo Flores said. “For over a week, we witnessed families torn apart, children leaving without parents, and residents disappearing without explanation. We put on tactical equipment and operated unmarked vehicles without showing qualifications or agency affiliation, infiltrating our neighborhoods in direct violation of the basic principles of value, civil rights and justice in our community.”
An LA County lawyer told the Board of Supervisors that federal agents need to identify themselves during enforcement activities, adding that there will be “several rooms” at the time that must happen, according to the Times.
As for state bills proposing a masked law enforcement ban, attempts to limit what federal agents can and cannot do in California will likely face immediate challenges in court.
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