Unmask ICE
One of the sad aspects of human nature is that many people will do and say the ugliest things when they know that those things can’t be traced back to them. Look at the Internet. Pathetic people who have no power in their actual lives wield their words like weapons in virtual space – with impunity – under cover of anonymity.
We are seeing the same phenomenon with ICE agents. Pathetic people are now armed with guns, pepper spray, and heavy boots, and sent out into neighborhoods where they are unknown, masked and without visible identification. They are told that they have “absolute immunity,” and gangs of them are turned loose to target unarmed minority communities. What could go wrong? This is a paramilitary video game, come to life.
The behavior captured on the videos in Minneapolis would not be as savage if those agents were clearly identifiable, if their cowardly actions could be traced back to them and if they were held accountable. It would be as if they had to live in the real world again.
Observers are very good at using their cell phones to capture video footage of incidents of ICE brutality. We have all seen multiple videos of ICE agents beating and killing people. What’s missing is the ability to identify the perpetrators and bring them to justice. This starts with making ICE agents wear plainly visible identification tags including their names and pictures, and prohibiting masks if the only purpose of the mask is to conceal identity.
ICE agents are paid with our tax dollars. They work for us. We should be able to demand to see who our employees are and what they are doing, and to hold them accountable for their actions.