In Chicago, protests have erupted over Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ tactics during immigration operations. Agents have detained U.S. citizens, used tear gas against protesters and, in one case, repelled from a helicopter to carry out a raid.
Former ICE acting director John Sandweg, who served from 2013 to 2014 under former President Barack Obama, said he has concerns over the tactics used by agents in Chicago during immigration enforcement operations, protests and arrests.
Sandweg said even though the standards around the use of force are consistent, the agents carrying out the operations are used to dealing with armed threats and more dangerous situations.
“Dealing with protesters who are exercising their First Amendment rights is incredibly nuanced work that requires [an] extensive amount of training,” Sandweg said. “That responsibility, however, is normally done by the local police. But we have this very confrontational approach.”
4 questions with John Sandweg
The Obama administration that you worked under was highly criticized for the record number of people that it deported. What’s the difference between that and what’s happening now under President Trump?
“In terms of the operations of ICE, and yes, there were obviously record numbers of deportations during the Obama administration, but they were very laser-like focused on two populations, right? Criminal populations.
“Or two is, again, the at-large operations. When ICE would go out into a city like Chicago, we did it in a very targeted fashion. So, prior to the agents hitting the streets, a lot of investigative research, had gone into identifying the targets.
“We’re seeing things like border patrol agents marching down downtown Chicago, IDing individuals, right? That is the exact opposite of [the] target. That is done in a very public manner.”
The Washington Post reported last week that ICE is investing in facial recognition, iris-scanning technology, and devices that can remotely hack into someone’s cell phone. Is that something that the agency has done before?
“There’s certain technologies the agency has utilized before. There are certain technologies that, certainly during the time I was at [the Department of Homeland Security] and at ICE, were viewed as controversial.
“The reason we used those were, for instance, criminal investigations of cross-border crime, and that technology could be valuable in terms of trying to identify which container might be the container that is the one to search, right? That might be the one containing drugs.
“Those technologies could be used in ICE’s mission to stop child exploitation. The problem, of course, here is that this administration has really said, ‘We’re going to pretty much shut those types of investigations down, shift all that manpower just to the civil immigration enforcement mission.’
“Obviously, I think it raises a lot of concerns that those technologies could be deployed against U.S. citizens who weren’t committing any sort of crimes but rather are just exercising their First Amendment right to object to this mass-deportation effort.”
There have been instances of attacks on ICE agents. The White House said it is taking some action — like asking tech companies to remove apps that track ICE activity in cities — to protect agents. Are these strategies legitimate?
“I have a lot of sympathy for the agents, the men and women at ICE. Most, the overwhelming majority, of them signed up to make this country safer. They got into this for the right reasons.
“I think they’re put in an incredibly difficult spot, though. They’re pushed on this mass-deportation mission. The mass-deportation mission has triggered these protests, and they’re tasked them with pushing back against the protests. There’s no training, there’s no experience doing it.
“Then the second piece of it is they themselves are the target of the protests. The assaults on the agents are real, and the agency has to take steps to protect the workforce. Unfortunately, I think though, that there are things that the administration could do in terms of changing the tactics that are being utilized to reduce the vulnerability to the agents and de-escalate the situation.
“I think it’s pretty clear the administration doesn’t seem interested in de-escalating things right now.”
What do you think the people inside the agency are feeling right now?
“I think the vast majority of agents, based on the conversations I’m having, are extremely frustrated and I think there is an overwhelming sense at the agency that as a result of this, really, the country’s just a little less safe.”
This interview was edited for clarity.
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Lynn Menegon produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Michael Scotto. Grace Griffin adapted it for the web.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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