Police chiefs have growing concerns that ICE could be setting back nearly half a decade of building public trust in communities.
That "fragile trust" has taken years to build following the killing of George Floyd and a number of public police brutality incidents in the U.S. and now local authorities have reported receiving "endless complaints" over ICE agents' behavior, including traffic stops of off-duty police officers and city employees based on their skin color, according to a New York Times report published Friday.
The killings of Renee Good, Alex Pretti, dragging a man in his underwear out of his home in freezing weather and arresting 5-year-old Liam Ramos has only added to that rapid shift and changed how the public views law enforcement — something that has taken years for police departments to overcome.
"The criticism aimed at federal agencies is tinged with the irony that for years, the federal government was the nation’s policing watchdog. But under President Trump, the Justice Department has walked away from efforts to force deeply troubled departments to improve — efforts that some chiefs had called intrusive and heavy handed," The Times reported.
The years of work have been damaged by ICE's tactics, which don't use the same techniques that community policing experts have said improve public trust, such as de-escalation or body cameras.
“It’s all just going down the toilet,” Kelly McCarthy, the police chief in Minneapolis suburb Mendota Heights, told The Times. “We do look good by comparison — but that won’t last because people are really frustrated.”
Police officials are also worried people will confuse local officers for the aggressive actions by federal agents. And in turn, federal officials have criticized local authorities.
In St. Paul, Minn., the police department has distributed images of what their uniforms look like and assured residents that they will not ask community members for immigration status, adding that they "cannot impede or interfere with federal agents."
"Trump administration officials have defended their operations and blamed state and local officials in Minnesota for the unrest, saying they have incited insurrection and failed to assist federal agents," The Times reported.