Why ICE Is Allowed to Impersonate Law Enforcement

“There’s no accountability,” one expert tells WIRED of ICE’s ability to lie to the public. “The consequence of this is that it’s going to be a systemic harm across all law enforcement.”

In the early hours of February 26, agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) arrived at Columbia University student housing. According to the school, the immigration officers told campus safety staff that they were police officers looking for a missing 5-year-old child. But once in the building, agents knocked on the dorm-room door of Elmina “Ellie” Aghayeva, a student from Azerbaijan. When her roommate opened the door, agents quickly detained Aghayeva.