Men in two states are accused of impersonating ICE officers
Men in two states are accused of impersonating ICE officers amid a political environment that a Latino civil rights group called dangerous.
A South Carolina man who police say was seen in a “disturbing” video confronting a Latino man in a pickup truck and telling him he was going to be sent back to Mexico has been arrested on charges that include impersonating an ICE officer.
The arrest was followed by a similar case the next day at Temple University, where a 22-year-old man and two other people were accused of falsely identifying themselves as officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Philadelphia police said.
The cases come amid aggressive immigration enforcement by the Trump administration at the U.S.-Mexico border and major U.S. cities, creating an environment that a Latino civil rights group called dangerous.
“I think this is just the beginning, unless we object to it, unless we bring this out and have other folks see how this gentleman here will be prosecuted,” said Roman Palomares, national president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, referring to the man who was arrested in South Carolina.
Sean Michael-Emmrich Johnson, 34, was arrested Friday after he turned himself in at the Sullivan’s Island Police Department. He was booked for investigation of one count of felony kidnapping, impersonating a law enforcement officer and two other misdemeanors. On Monday, the police department said it had obtained warrants charging Johnson with two more counts of kidnapping.
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