“Interview with a former ICE agent” is an excerpt from Daniel Garza’s forthcoming book, ICE Agents Unmasked. The agent’s name is changed and certain details redacted to protect his identity.
Garza: Let’s start with how you first got into law enforcement. What motivated you to choose that line of work?
A: There was quite a bit of idealism at the start. As a kid I watched all these TV shows. Cops were the good guys, criminals were the bad guys. I suppose that message stuck with me. When it came to choosing a career, it felt like an easy choice. Pay was decent, and I felt like I was giving something back to the community. I started working at [small town] PD.
Garza: You eventually switched to ICE. Why?
A: After a few years at [small town] I was starting to feel a little boxed in. Not much room for advancement. And I felt like I wasn’t having much of an impact. Around the same time I was seeing lots of news about immigrant crime. And not just in the US. Europe too. Immigration was where the need was. I saw that I could make a bigger impact there. So I joined up. That was in [year].
Garza: You liked the work?
A: A lot. We’d get a call that a target might be at some location, we’d set up an operation, grab him, and another bad guy would be off the streets.
Garza: But that changed. How and when?
A: Yes. Last year. We were still doing the same stuff. We’d get a call about a target’s possible location, and we’d go pick him up. But the public was reacting differently. Used to be, a crowd would watch us drag off a criminal and they would look indifferent or maybe even appreciative. Why not? We were cleaning up their neighborhood after all. But starting last year the crowds starting looking fearful or angry.
Garza: What did you think caused the change in the public’s attitude?
A: The news. No question. New horror stories every day about ICE beating innocent people, kidnapping them, sending them to concentration camps.
Garza: You thought those stories were fake?
A: Of course. Higher ups explained how the news was anti-Trump so they were pushing this bullshit narrative. Stopping immigrant crime was an important job that wasn’t always going to be easy. We just had to deal with the attitude of those who were buying the bullshit.
Garza: Did you think any of the stories were true?
A: I thought it was possible mistakes were being made and that the news was pouncing on those mistakes. Is it possible that we were being directed to pick up the wrong guy? Sure. Is it possible that something went wrong after we brought him in? Yeah. Our view was limited. We didn’t see how guys were being selected to pick up, and we didn’t see what happened after we brought them in. Mistakes were definitely possible but I didn’t see how there could be enough mistakes to match what was being reported in the news.
Garza: You thought the negative stories about ICE was the press pouncing on mistakes?
A: That was the answer that made the most sense to me. Grabbing and deporting innocent people made no sense.
Garza: Your thinking changed.
A: Yeah. That guy that got sent to an El Salvador prison. Trump says yes, he was sent there by mistake, and no, we’re not going to correct the mistake. What the fuck is that? I could tell that other agents were wondering what was going on. One raid we were going to nab a guy who was MS-13. Only some of the picture didn’t fit the profile. One of the agents asked “Are we sure this guy is MS-13?” I had been wondering the same thing. Our lead shut the guy down. “Yeah we’re sure. Now get your head in the game.” I kept my mouth shut.
Garza: Were you aware then that ICE’s mission had changed?
A: Yes. My gut was saying yes. My head was trying to tell me no.
Garza: Were other agents aware of the change?
A: They had to be. Maybe a few were in denial, thinking fake news was getting people riled up. Others were like me. Let’s ride this out until it blows over.
Garza: And the rest?
A: Some separated the job from the news stories. They were just doing a job, and any problems were being caused by people elsewhere in the chain. Unfortunately there were others who clearly were really into the new mission. Bullies and racists. They were making the situation much worse. They’d beat someone up and there’d be videos of it hours later on TV and the internet.
Garza: Did family or friends talk to you about what was going on?
A: I was hiking with my brother and nephew at [park]. When I was alone with my nephew he said “You should quit.” It took me a moment to realize he was talking about my job. That was the entire conversation. He didn’t say any more, and I didn’t say anything at all. Friends and family mostly didn’t talk about what was happening. They made their feelings known by avoiding me.
Garza: Did you consider quitting?
A: And do what? No. I should have but it didn’t seem like a realistic option. All the branches of law enforcement were supporting ICE at that point. Law enforcement was my career and I didn’t want to give that up. My plan was to ride it out until things got back to normal. I know that sounds naive but it made sense. I thought court rulings and public pressure would get us back to rounding up real criminals.
Garza: Public pressure took things in a different direction.
A: Yeah. The Transition. No return to normal and no ICE. I got rounded up with the other ICE agents. My new home was a cage at the [name] detention center. One of the new centers that had just been built.
Garza: What was the detention center like?
A: We were grouped into cages. The walls and ceiling were chain-link wire so no privacy. No heat or air conditioning. Sometimes the guards would open or close windows to adjust the temperature.
Garza: Who were the inmates?
A: Most were ICE agents. I heard there were some politicians and business types in there also.
Garza: What were you charged with?
A: Everything. Kidnapping, assault, conspiracy, violation of civil rights … They threw the kitchen sink at everybody. Since we wore masks on duty all the time it was hard to tell who did what. Prosecutors needed insiders to tell them that.
Garza: And that’s how you got out of the detention center.
A: Yes. I know many consider me a rat who cut a deal to save his own ass. I don’t see it that way. Those guys who got off beating up people because of their skin color? I’ve got no problem pointing them out to prosecutors. Those types give all of law enforcement a black eye.
Garza: What will you do now career-wise?
A: Law enforcement would be my top choice but it’s not an option. I’m still banned from working in law enforcement or private security. My deal with prosecutors didn’t change that. I’m studying [subject] at [university]. I think that might help fix some things that are broken in the country.
Garza: Looking back, are there regrets, things you wish you had done differently?
A: Sure. Many. But I think the main one was when I first knew something was wrong. In my gut. That was the time to stand up instead of going along. That would have been the time to take a stand.