Officials Warn of Fractures in ICE and Border Patrol Amid City Deployments

Current and former immigration officials told The New York Times they are increasingly frustrated and disillusioned with the Trump administration’s deployment of ICE and Border Patrol agents to cities such as Minneapolis after recent confrontations and the fatal shootings of civilians there.

Officials described anxieties that agents were being sent into situations that were increasingly dangerous for them and for civilians, saying long hours, arrest quotas and public vitriol were taking a toll on morale. Oscar Hagelsieb, a retired ICE special agent, said throwing a “500‑pound gorilla” into inner cities was “completely unfair to the agents” and warned “they’re causing chaos, and unfortunately it’s costing lives.” Critics pointed to more aggressive Border Patrol tactics and the combative approach of a leader who has used the phrase “turn and burn,” referring to actions like smashing windshields, using explosives to force entry into homes and engaging in car chases.

Former Customs and Border Protection chief Gil Kerlikowske said many Border Patrol agents lacked experience “policing an urban environment” and that some tactics, including pepper ball rounds and chemical agents at nonviolent protests, were “far outside standard practices in law enforcement.” Officials said the administration’s demand for as many as 3,000 arrests per day curtailed careful planning, turning operations into wider street stops that have raised concerns about racial profiling.

Key Topics

Politics, Ice, Border Patrol, Minneapolis, Gregory Bovino, Oscar Hagelsieb