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LA County looks to ban law-enforcement officers from concealing identities
VOL. 13,
Appeals court hears arguments but doesn't rule on order halting ICE raids By Joe Taglieri
By City News Service
joet@beaconmedianews.com
R
esponding to recent immigration raids carried out by federal agents typically wearing masks or other face coverings, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors asked its attorneys Tuesday to draft an ordinance barring law-enforcement officers from concealing or disguising their identities while on duty. The proposal introduced by Supervisors Janice Hahn and Hilda Solis followed similar measures pending in the state Legislature and in Congress. The motion passed on a 4-0 vote, with Supervisor Kathryn Barger abstaining. During Tuesday's board meeting, Hahn acknowledged questions about whether the county has the authority to regulate the activities of federal agents, including those working for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement -- although the proposed ordinance would apply to all law enforcement agencies operating in unincorporated areas. She said the issue will is ultimately likely to be decided in court, but said requiring law enforcement officials to publicly identify themselves "is a common-sense reasonable expectation." She noted that people are repeatedly told to ask for identification whenever a person knocks on their door claiming to be from a public agency. She said officers with other agencies all publicly identify themselves. "ICE should be held to that same standard," Hahn said. In their motion, Hahn and Solis wrote, "Residents have
A
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem with masked ICE and Enforcement and Removal Operations officers in Los Angeles on June 12. | Photo courtesy of Tia Dufour/DHS
witnessed countless incidents of men in plainclothes or wearing tactical gear, with their faces covered by masks or balaclavas and sunglasses, while they raid communities and detain residents. And they have refused to reveal their identities or even a badge when asked, leading to fear of impersonators. "When law enforcement officers conceal their identities, they create confusion, incite fear, and undermine public trust," the motion states. Federal authorities have defended the use of masks by ICE agents, contending there has been a massive increase in assaults on agents, and that concealing their identities helps protect them and their families from retaliation. U.S. Homeland Security
Secretary Kristi Noem has said agents' faces and home addresses have been circulated by gang members and activist groups who oppose the mass deportations being undertaken by the Trump administration. "We will prosecute those who dox ICE agents to the fullest extent of the law," Noem said in a statement earlier this month. "These criminals are taking the side of vicious cartels and human traffickers. We won't allow it in America." Critics have assailed the actions of masked agents, contending those agents generally travel in unmarked vehicles and refuse to present badges or identification when specifically asked, raising the See Masks Page 28
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chance of imposters carrying out kidnappings under the guise of being legitimate lawenforcement officers. Hahn and Supervisor Holly Mitchell both acknowledged the argument by federal officials about fears of reprisals, but both said no other law enforcement operation is entitled to such a lack of transparency. "I'm not sure why ICE feels that they are different," Mitchell said. The motion directs county attorneys to report back in 60 days with proposed language for an ordinance prohibiting all law-enforcement officers working in unincorporated areas from wearing "any mask or personal disguise while interacting with the public in
temporary restraining order stopping immigration enforcement activity in the Los Angeles area remained in place Monday after a federal appeals court heard arguments but did not rule on the Trump administration's request for a stay of the restraining order. The appeal stems from a July 2 lawsuit by Southern California residents, workers and advocacy groups who claim the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's aggressive mass-deportation operation that involves "abducting and disappearing" community members via illegal arrest tactics, then detaining people in allegedly unlawful, at times extremely unsanitary conditions while denying detainees legal counsel. Since June 6, federal agents have carried out aggressive enforcement activity following orders from Trump and administration officials who have pledged to crack down on illegal immigration nationwide. U.S. Department of Justice lawyers want the appeals panel to issue a stay of a Los Angeles federal judge's July 14 ruling that roving patrols by immigration agents were done illegally without reasonable suspicion or probable cause. DOJ Attorney Jacob Roth on Monday challenged the lower court ruling by U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong, arguing that the immigraSee ICE raids Page 28
tion detentions were legal, precisely targeted and done with probable cause to make arrests. During the 90-minute hearing in San Francisco, the three-judge panel from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals questioned the legality of the immigration enforcement activity and the origins of a reported White House order that requires immigration agents nationwide to make 3,000 arrests of undocumented immigrants each day. Roth insisted that federal "officers are instructed to find reasonable suspicion before an arrest," adding that Frimpong's restraining order "is fundamentally flawed on multiple levels." The questions to Roth from the three appeals court panelists had an air of skepticism. Judge Ronald Gould, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, asked Roth three separate times to explain the 3,000-person daily arrests strategy and to pinpoint exactly where the quota supposedly originated. Questioned if there was actually such a policy, Roth responded, "Not to my knowledge, your honor," adding, "I think it came from a newspaper article." Gould ordered Roth to determine the origin of the apparent directive and file the results with the court. According to published reports, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller