Overview
- The Oct. 17 FBI bulletin, obtained by Property of the People and first reported by WIRED, cites five 2025 cases in which impersonators used ICE’s profile to commit robbery, kidnapping, and sexual assault.
- The memo describes incidents including an August New York restaurant robbery, an April Florida kidnapping, a February Brooklyn attempted rape and theft, and a January North Carolina hotel-room assault tied to a deportation threat.
- The FBI advises officers to clearly identify themselves during operations and to allow verification requests, including calls to local police precincts.
- Federal regulations already require officers to state their identity and the reason for arrest as soon as it is practical and safe, a standard advocates say is often ignored during recent raids.
- DHS officials defend masks and unmarked tactics as protections against threats and doxxing, while lawmakers push changes such as Rep. Adriano Espaillat’s bill to bar masks and require insignia and California’s new ban on masked agents during raids.