Write a commentIn a recent interview on “Meet the Press,” President Trump said quite clearly he could not agree with the fact that the Constitution guarantees that “no person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of the law.”
He gave as an excuse that he is not a lawyer, so he just didn’t know.
As the interview went on, he suggested he could ignore due process because it was too cumbersome, too slow. His admission that he could “ignore” another law is a clear indicator of his failure to uphold the Constitution of the United States. And this violation is purposely creeping into the actions of the U.S. Border Patrol and ICE activities around the United States. And most importantly, Oswego County is seeing increased visibility of the overreach of both agencies.
Let’s be clear, both of these agencies have the responsibility to implement their charge. The law is very clear. In a nutshell it states that…
“Per the Immigration and Nationality Act, ICE detentions fall into two categories: discretionary and mandatory. ICE has discretionary authority to detain people awaiting decisions on their removal. Mandatory detention applies to unauthorized immigrants who have committed serious crimes.”
No one is questioning lawful intent of these mandates. What is alarming, however, is that increasing numbers of BP & ICE agents are carelessly exceeding the limits of the law. This is resulting in innocent adults and children being terrorized and in some cases abducted and incarcerated unlawfully. One only has to look north to our neighbors in Sackets Harbor to understand this. And now we are seeing these tactics right here in our own cities of Fulton and Oswego. In Fulton, six incidences were reported recently inside the city limits. In one case 10 ICE agents dressed totally in black with black hoods were recorded peeking into a resident's house and car. Wrong house and wrong car!
One of the acknowledged tactics being used by agents is called a “ruse.” According to the ICE operational manual, a ruse technique is part of the training tactics used by agents. In these cases, the agent can be dressed in plain clothes with no visible identification, or the agent will mis-represent themselves as local law enforcement “simply following up on a fictitious report.”
It’s long been a policy of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to avoid targeting “sensitive locations” like schools, churches, or hospitals for immigration enforcement actions. Less than 24 hours after his inauguration, President Trump reversed this policy. One has to ask, who’s next.
If you or your neighbor is approached in any questionable manner, know your rights. If ICE impersonates police, these are the types of stories they often tell:
- We’re police investigating a serious crime and just want to ask a few questions. Can we come in?
- We’re police and there is an issue with your car. Can you come outside?
- We’re probation officers looking for a person that lives at this house. Are they here? Can we come in? For now, know not to open your door, know to ask for a warrant, and know not to answer any questions.
Communities that know their rights can lawfully prevent ICE from entering their homes, schools and churches and protect themselves, their neighbors, and their loved ones. Learn more about your rights and share widely. https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/immigrants-rights
-Paul McKinney
