Andy Stumpf

And we'll get a little deeper into that in a second.

But they focus on immigration violations and work under Homeland Security, not local police.

They are distinct from local police but may partner with them, and their identification as police can be confusing but is generally permitted.

They enforce immigration laws, conduct investigations, and can make arrests, but operate under specific immigration statutes, not general criminal law like local police.

ICE officers have statutory authority under Section 287 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to arrest individuals for civil immigration violations without a judicial warrant.

On the subject of warrants for entering private residences, ICE generally needs a judicial warrant, unlike their authority in public spaces or workplaces.

So whether you like it or not,

They are law enforcement officers with arrest authority.

So then I've seen this social media thing take another turn.

They can only arrest you for an immigration-related issue.

Well, let's take a look at that.

Yes, ICE agents can arrest people for criminal activity, especially if the crime relates to immigration violations or if the individual is a non-citizen in the country unlawfully.

Let's go even farther.

Can ICE agents arrest someone for criminal activity not associated with immigration?

Yes, ICE agents, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Customs Enforcement, can arrest individuals for general crimes, not just immigration violations, especially if the crime is committed in their presence, involves threat to public safety like gangs and firearms, or is a felony, but their primary role remains immigration enforcement.

So yeah, that's their primary job.

But I hope somebody out there

can encounter this small section of piece of content where they have been getting fed this information where it is so sticky and spreading through social media that ICE isn't law enforcement and ICE has no arrest authority.

And here's what's wild.

I'm literally watching people, this is what you can do to an ICE agent and you cannot be arrested for.