President Trump’s detractors have portrayed him as a fascist, dictatorial, freedom-hating fiend. The aggressive ICE arrests and protests in Minneapolis, including two shooting deaths of civilians, only added fuel to the narrative that America was devolving into a police state and Armageddon was on its way.
Then Trump pivoted.
Whether because of falling poll numbers, bad optics, or a genuine reset of strategy in dealing with illegal immigrants, the administration is making some changes.
For one, the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general is investigating use of force by ICE agents, according to a letter sent to the watchdog by congressional Democrats.
The letter, sent Monday to DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, cites the fatal shootings of U.S. citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis last month. The letter says the inspector general launched a review on Jan. 8 of the tactics undertaken by ICE and Customs and Border Protection, urging the watchdog to speed up the timeline of the probe.
“Given the urgency of this situation — with communities facing severe, and sometimes fatal, harm from ICE’s tactics on American streets every day — we request that your office conduct this review expeditiously and share any preliminary findings with Congress and the public on an expedited basis,” the Democrats wrote, according to a copy of the letter reviewed by Politico.
The letter writers include Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) and Lou Correa (D-Calif.), with 36 of their Congressional colleagues signing on on to the letter, which was first reported by The New York Times.
The inspector general’s office is conducting an “audit of ICE’s Processes for Investigating and Addressing Allegations of Excessive Use of Force,” per the office’s list of ongoing projects.
That looks an awful lot like transparency. Belated, but still an investigation into a subject that has concerned Americans of all stripes.
The White House also pulled Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino from Minnesota and dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minneapolis last week.
And after meetings between Homan and Democratic leaders in the state, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Monday that ICE and CBP officers in the city will begin wearing body cameras during immigration enforcement operations there.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller conceded that CBP agents may not have been following protocol during the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti, which is under review by the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and DHS.
These steps may not cause even a blip in the social media flame wars, in which Trump, his Administration, Republicans and all those who vote for them are evil in thought, word and deed. Marches and protests and “expletive ICE” placards mark a community still outraged by Trump’s second White House win, and livid at any economic successes that followed.
It’s critical that the Trump Administration recalibrate ICE’s interactions with communities and response to protestors, especially those who believe spitting on law enforcement officers counts as “peaceful assembly.” Encounters are ripe for escalation, and cool, well-trained heads must prevail.
Many will dismiss Trump’s moves, even the DHS investigation, as backpedaling to shore up poll numbers. What matters is that reparative action is being taken, and not a moment too soon.
