ICE agents may ask for ID or passports during operations: Noem

Noman Sabit: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said ICE agents may ask some Americans for proof of citizenship while carrying out operations.

Noem's words come after weeks of unrest in Minneapolis, where several incidents involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have sparked chaos. On Wednesday, a Venezuelan immigrant was shot in the leg while being pursued by ICE agents and the week before, 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an ICE official who claimed the mom-of-three tried to flatten him with her car. "In every situation we are doing targeted enforcement. If we are on a target, there may be individuals surrounding that criminal that we may be asking who they are and why they're there and having them validate their identity," Noem told reporters in response to a question regarding the US citizens who have been subject to ICE raids.

The statement goes against President Donald Trump's promise to deport only "violent criminals" who are in the US illegally. Since the beginning of his second term, the Trump administration has facilitated the deportation of teen students, parents, city council workers and other individuals with no criminal records. Meanwhile, Democrats across the country are proposing state law changes to rein in federal immigration officers.

Many of the measures have been proposed in some form for years in Democratic-led states, but their momentum is growing as legislatures return to work amid President Donald Trump’s national immigration crackdown following the death of Good. Republicans are pushing back, blaming protesters for impeding enforcement of immigration laws. 

Democratic bills seek to limit ICE

Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul wants New York to allow people to sue federal officers alleging violations of their constitutional rights. Another measure aims to keep immigration agents lacking judicial warrants out of schools, hospitals and houses of worship.

Oregon Democrats plan to introduce a bill to allow residents to sue federal agents for violating their Fourth Amendment rights against unlawful search and seizure. New Jersey’s Democrat-led Legislature passed three bills on Monday that immigrant rights groups have long pushed for, including a measure prohibiting state law enforcement officers from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement. Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy has until his last day in office Tuesday to sign or veto them. California lawmakers are proposing to ban local and state law enforcement from taking second jobs with the Department of Homeland Security and make it a violation of state law when ICE officers make “indiscriminate” arrests around court appearances. Other measures are pending.

“Where you have government actions with no accountability, that is not true democracy,” Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco said at a news conference.

(*This report is produced by Bangla Press. Republishing our content, images, or broadcasts in any other media outlet without permission is strictly prohibited.)

BP/SM