Press Releases

U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-07) joined the Democratic Women’s Caucus in demanding answers on the alarming rise in ICE impersonators who are harassing and abusing women. In a letter to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Members call for ICE to prioritize women’s safety by requiring ICE agents to visibly and clearly identify themselves when conducting immigration enforcement, as well as ensure impersonators are held accountable.

Pettersen joined the Members in calling for answers following troubling reports of individuals impersonating immigration officers, coinciding with the direction for ICE agents to increase immigration enforcement activities and operate in masks, plain-clothes, using unmarked vehicles. Cases of women being assaulted by ICE impersonators have been reported in several states, including New York, Maryland, and North Carolina.

“Trump has been using ICE to terrorize our communities and scare immigrant families. What’s worse, he’s creating added mayhem by allowing ICE agents to show up in masks and unmarked cars to abruptly detain people,” said Rep. Pettersen. “Not only is it creating a climate of fear and chaos, it’s creating the perfect cover for bad actors to impersonate ICE and exploit the confusion. There has to be a basic protocol so we can clearly identify who is a legitimate law enforcement agent. At the very least, the public should have the peace of mind that agents are who they say they are because they are displaying clear identification and remain unmasked. And there must be more oversight and transparency for this agency, which is abusing its power and using taxpayer dollars to intimidate law-abiding residents in our communities. ”

In the letter, the Members wrote, “All our lives, we are taught to fear masked men in unmarked vehicles. We learn we should run from such men to avoid being kidnapped, sexually assaulted, or killed. Yet, ICE is increasingly conducting raids and arrests in masks, plain-clothes, without visible identification or badges, using unmarked vehicles – tactics that cause confusion, terror, and mistrust among the public. These tactics invited perpetrators of violence against women to take advantage of the chaos by impersonating masked ICE agents in order to target and sexually assault women.

The Members continued, “We call on the Department to implement policies and protocols that are responsive to these serious concerns about women’s safety and law enforcement integrity to protect women from further harm. Your current practices leave women vulnerable to life-altering violence. It’s past time to act. Just like local police officers, ICE agents must be required to wear visible and clear identification to ensure their safety, better protect women, and deter impersonators. Finally, impersonators must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law and this violence must be denounced by this administration.”

In July, Pettersen joined the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) in a letter calling for an investigation into the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s mistreatment of women in their custody, including women being denied critical healthcare while in immigration custody. 

You can read the full text from the latest letter from the Democratic Women’s Caucus here.

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