Former ICE director says Trump’s immigration crackdown puts agents in ‘terrible position’

Chicago — The rules of engagement for federal agents in President Trump’s immigration crackdown have come under scrutiny, with a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement director telling CBS News that agents have been put “in a terrible position” and are tasked with operations “in a city where they don’t belong.”

From vehicle accidents has energetic takedownsEncounters with federal agents captured on cellphone video have gone viral amid the crackdown. Recent incidents have involved ICE as well as the U.S. Border Patrol, whose agents are trained to arrest drug traffickers and human smugglers in the deserts along the U.S. southern border. But today, many of those Border Patrol agents have been deployed to the streets. cities like Chicago.

“What immediately strikes me is how this administration has put these agents in a terrible position,” John Sandwegformer acting director of ICE, told CBS News. “…These are units designed to deal with high-risk threats and to deploy overwhelming force. And I think the big flaw here is that no, I don’t blame these agents. I blame the administration for sending agents, who are trained in this way, to a city where they don’t belong.”

Federal agents deployed tear gas on a crowd Tuesday on Chicago’s South Side following a crash involving a federal vehicle. This use of tear gas prompted a federal judge Thursday to express concern and issue an order Friday for Chicago officers to wear body cameras in response to a trial filed by several media outlets following allegations that federal agents used forceful tactics against protesters and journalists.

“I’m glad the judge is stepping up and doing the right thing,” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker told reporters. “I think we’re going to see more lawsuits against ICE and CBP.”

ICE and Border Patrol are part of the Department of Homeland Security. Sandweg says the rules of engagement for DHS agents are “generally” the same as those for local law enforcement.

“DHS’s use of force policies are fairly consistent with those of law enforcement agencies across the country,” Sandweg said. “The use of force must be reasonable in relation to the threat you face. You must first try to deescalate the situation.”

CBS News showed some of the viral clips to DHS. In response, a DHS spokesperson told CBS News in a statement that the videos showed “a growing and dangerous trend of illegal aliens and agitators obstructing and attacking law enforcement.”

Jerry Robinette, who has 34 years of law enforcement experience as a police officer and special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations, a DHS agency, said the situation was “stressful” for “both sides” — the protesters and the federal agents.

“The officers have a mission and they’re not going to tolerate a lot of things,” Robinette said. “And when someone crosses that line, you know, the administration has pretty much given them orders not to back down.”

Robinette said he believes the United States is in uncharted territory when it comes to these immigration raids and the resulting protests.

“We’ve never had to deal with this kind of extreme confrontation,” Robinette said. “You know, there have been isolated incidents, but nothing like what we’re seeing today. And for us, obviously, this is something totally foreign.”