30+ immigration agents have been accused of violent crimes such as child sex trafficking
At least 30 current and former immigration agents have been charged or convicted of violent offenses, according to a new report.
Two advocacy groups, the Ohio Immigrant Alliance and the Pacific Antifascist Collective, published an updated list on Monday of immigration officers, all of whom are men, who have been accused of various violent offenses. The list shows that all but one officer has been charged with sex offenses, and two-thirds committed sexual crimes against children. It covers agents from both Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol.
Some of the offenses included in the list are gunpoint sexual assault, child sex trafficking, aggravated assault, robbery, rape, torture, kidnapping, sexual abuse of a minor, and possession, and production of child sexual abuse materials.
"Congress must stop giving ICE and the Border Patrol a blank check to commit crimes against the public," Lynn Tramonte, OIA's executive director, said in a statement. "DHS must answer for its faulty hiring, vetting, and re-verification processes. The public cannot trust law enforcement agencies that employ so many dangerous criminals and refuse to police their own ranks."
It was published at a time when President Donald Trump's immigration regime was facing considerable pushback from lawmakers and voters. Democrats have said they will unite to cause a partial government shutdown over funding for ICE after an immigration officer shot and killed Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old ICU nurse, in Minneapolis on Saturday.
Pretti's killing is at least the 11th such instance since Trump took office last January, according to reports.