In cities like Huntington Park where immigrant families form the foundation of our neighborhoods, businesses, and houses of worship, the Trump administration’s latest immigration crackdown has crossed a troubling line: blurring the distinction between legitimate law enforcement and state-sanctioned intimidation.

Just last week, our local police department arrested an individual suspected of impersonating a federal agent. The suspect was found with police-style radios, federal-looking “detainer” documents, and a firearm. Alarmingly, this scene didn’t feel anomalous — it felt expected. Why? Because today’s federal agents often operate in unmarked vehicles, wear masks, and refuse to identify themselves.

Let me be clear: This is not standard law enforcement. This is the public policy of terror.

Historically, federal immigration officers operated with clear identification, marked vehicles, and public accountability. But under the guise of national security, we are now told to accept anonymous agents, lacking warrants, who descend into our neighborhoods with the tactics of a secret police force.

This shift is reminiscent of the post-9/11 era, where sweeping federal authority was exercised with minimal oversight, leading to widespread surveillance and unjust detentions. That is not the America we believe in. That is how authoritarian regimes function.

ICE Is Detaining Workers, Students, Caregivers

While the Department of Homeland Security claims these raids are “highly targeted,” the data tells a different story. According to David Bier of the Cato Institute, 65% of those arrested by ICE this fiscal year had no criminal record, and over 93% had no convictions for violent offenses. These are not dangerous individuals — they are workers, students, caregivers, and neighbors.

And the climate of fear is not limited to the undocumented. Latino U.S. citizens—born and raised here—are increasingly reporting encounters with agents who question their status based solely on appearance. When American citizens feel compelled to carry birth certificates to prove they belong, something is deeply broken.

Homeland Security officials have denied any racial profiling and instead accused critics of putting officers at risk. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin recently claimed that public criticism of ICE has caused a “500% increase” in assaults on agents. Yet, she provided no data, no breakdown, and no context. This is not transparency.

Meanwhile, according to DHS data it has been reported that Customs and Border Protection (CBP)—a more transparent agency—has seen a decrease in assaults since 2022. ICE, in contrast, has refused to release its data while defining nonviolent actions, like peaceful protest, as “assault.” If the numbers are real, let the public see them. If not, they must not be used to justify sweeping, masked operations in our communities.

Military Tactics Don’t Belong in Our Neighborhoods

We should all be alarmed when public officials, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and federal Attorney General Pam Bondi, seek to normalize opaque, militarized tactics in civilian neighborhoods. Judges, legislators, and public servants conduct their work openly every day, even in the face of threats. Why should immigration enforcement be allowed to operate in secrecy?

The danger here is not hypothetical. When federal agents become indistinguishable from those who would impersonate them, public safety erodes. Residents are left unsure whether the person at their door is a lawful officer or a threat in disguise. This erosion of trust is not merely unsafe, it is incompatible with the principles of a free and democratic society.

In Huntington Park, we will continue to enforce the law — but not at the expense of our values. We will protect our residents, regardless of immigration status, from impersonation, racial profiling, and tactics designed to incite fear. What we are witnessing is not a matter of policy — it is a blatant abuse of federal power. And it is beyond unacceptable.

When Good Americans Fail to Act, Evil Prospers

Many who claim to stand for limited government and individual liberty have remained silent in the face of this overreach. But let me be clear: when government agents operate behind masks, without warrants, and without transparency, that is not the rule of law—it is the unchecked expansion of state power.

America must decide: Are we a nation grounded in law, accountability, and civil rights — or a nation that allows for the trampling of said rights based solely on selective bias.

For our great nation to endure we have to remain steadfast to the values and constitutional rights that have elevated our country above all others throughout the world.

That is what makes us The Land of the Free, The Home of the Brave!

When good Americans fail to act, evil prospers.

About the Author

Arturo Flores is the mayor of Huntington Park, a community of 55,000 people in Los Angeles County, and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.

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