Union Defends ICE Agents in Detroit: Leaders Call on ICE Managers to Quit Playing Politics
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Union defends ICE Agents in Detroit: On the morning of April 5, 2011 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fugitive Operations Officers were conducting routine surveillance of a home in the Detroit area suspected to be the residence of a criminal fugitive ordered deported from the United States by a Federal Judge.
Leaders call on ICE managers to quit playing politics
On the morning of April 5, 2011 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Fugitive Operations Officers were conducting routine surveillance of a home in the Detroit area suspected to be the residence of a criminal fugitive ordered deported from the United States by a Federal Judge. When a vehicle left the residence ICE Agents adhered to standard law enforcement surveillance techniques and followed.
As the vehicle entered a school area Agents broke contact but maintained surveillance from a distance. When the vehicle drove away from the area Agents followed unobserved for approximately five blocks before pulling the car over and arresting the fugitive identified on the warrant in their possession. “It was textbook law enforcement,” said Chris Crane, President of the National ICE Council, the Union representing ICE Agents and Officers, “I’m proud of our Officers and the professionalism they displayed in conducting their duties.”
However, this routine arrest has erupted in a media storm of false accusations and misinformation. Immigration Activists claim that the school was surrounded by ICE Agents who profiled and stalked Hispanic residents, made warrantless arrests and otherwise terrorized innocent bystanders and children. Crane denies those allegations. “None of the people making these allegations have the facts; ICE Agents were acting under an order from a Federal Judge. No man, woman or child was terrorized or harassed; nobody surrounded the school or took any other action around it.” Crane also rejected statements by ICE Public Affairs Director Brian Hale that implied ICE Agents had acted contrary to ICE policy. “ICE hadn’t even spoken to the officers involved when Hale made those statements. His statements were premature and inaccurate. Mr. Hale is not an officer, does not represent ICE Agents, and clearly is not familiar with ICE policy regarding surveillance near schools. His comments have created confusion and fueled this storm” This is not the first time Hale has failed to accurately represent ICE Officers in the field the Union alleges. In March, the Union filed a formal complaint with ICE Director John Morton calling for Hale’s resignation alleging he told the press that ICE did not consider its own agents to be “real agents.” Hale allegedly made these statements after masked gunman entered the home of an ICE Agent in Texas to kill the Agent, but when he was not at home molested his fiancé. “We were outraged,” Crane said, “our Agent needed help and instead our own Agency attacked us.” ICE Director John Morton did not respond to the Union’s complaint. “Thanks to ICE, newspapers and blogs across the country now read ‘ICE admits to wrongdoing in Detroit,’ but our officers did nothing wrong. ICE is abusing its authority and attacking its employees instead of protecting them, it’s time for ICE to quit playing politics and defend our officers publicly.” The National ICE Council represents 7,000 ICE Officers, Agents and employees working for ICE.
