"As a veteran of the war on terror, I have spent the past year watching Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers expand their operations across the country on a heretofore unprecedented scale and with a new faux-military bearing. From equipment to weapons to tactics, ICE and other immigration enforcement bodies want to be seen as combat forces carrying out their missions."
"Witness on Thursday, when White House border czar Tom Homan talked about Minneapolis as a "theater" for his agents. Overlooking that ICE is not, in fact, part of the armed services of the US-it's a civilian law enforcement agency-it is useful to break down their operations through a military lens to find the strategic implications. Because if an agency wants to cosplay as a military force, it deserves to be evaluated as one."
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have expanded operations nationwide and adopted a faux-military bearing through equipment, weapons, uniforms, and tactics. White House border officials described Minneapolis as a "theater" for agents, while ICE remains a civilian law enforcement agency rather than part of the armed services. Evaluating ICE through a military lens reveals strategic implications when a civilian agency mimics combat forces. Military practice tailors equipment and armament to mission needs, including dressing down for counterinsurgency to build local trust or presenting a show of force when required. ICE raids often feature heavily militarized gear and mixed uniforms and masks that obscure identification and create public confusion.
Read at WIRED
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