This moment will be defined by what we choose to record - Poynter

"When unmarked, masked federal agents grabbed an international student and forced her into an SUV on a public street in the spring of 2025, the United States entered into a new era of federal policing. At first, it was alarming - a move more commonly associated with authoritarian dictatorships than a democratically elected government with checks and balances. Now that this tactic, and others like it, have become routine, it is no longer enough to react in alarm."

"This escalation of federal policing raises serious constitutional and accountability questions, especially when enforcement actions are difficult to observe, verify or challenge in real time. Stopping people in public and asking them for proof of citizenship without apparent cause, breaking down the doors of homes without a warrant signed by a judge, smashing car windows and dragging people out of their vehicles all potentially violate the Fourth Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizures."

"For more than three decades, bystander videos have brought accountability to local police. Starting with the recording of Los Angeles police officers beating Rodney King in 1991 through the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis cop in 2020, visual evidence brought public scrutiny, use-of-force policy reform and, in some cases, criminal charges."

When unmarked, masked federal agents seized an international student and forced her into an SUV on a public street in spring 2025, federal policing entered a new era. The tactic and similar operations have become routine, prompting calls to extensively document actions. The escalation raises serious constitutional and accountability questions, especially when enforcement actions are difficult to observe, verify or challenge in real time. Stopping people and demanding proof of citizenship without cause, breaking down doors without judicial warrants, and forcibly removing people from vehicles potentially violate Fourth Amendment protections. Bystander videos historically produced accountability for local police, but federal officers increasingly conceal identities, lack markings and offer no transparent complaint mechanisms.

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