Unprecedented: ICE is launching billboards in Pennsylvania with the faces of immigrants who have been released by local police departments under so-called sanctuary policies.
Years ago, I wrote about a similar tactic used by police in the Bay Area who used billboards and websites to shame alleged 'johns':
sfgate.com/crime/article/…
Legal experts raised serious legal concerns with the tactic.
"My major concern is that they are posting pictures of persons who have just been arrested and charged, not convicted. There could certainly be some innocent persons in the group," one expert told me at the time.
ICE says that people in the group will include those convicted and others who are charged.
The examples in the press release include individuals who have been arrested but not convicted.
Here is the set of billboards, released by ICE to the media: dvidshub.net/image/6378661/…
.@priscialva first reported that the agency was considering this as an option.
This effort speaks more broadly to the deteriorating relationship between ICE (and DHS) and cities, especially those in liberal areas.
As many have noted, this effort is taking place in a swing state --- if that surprises you, then you haven't been paying attention to what many current/former DHS officials believe is an increasingly politicized agency.
The actually meaningful personnel moves at DHS are under the radar. For example, Kathy Nuebel Kovarik, an immigration hardliner, moved over to ICE and became chief of staff in late July.
Previously, she was at USCIS, where she was a key player in the policy changes made there.
Our story on this billboard campaign:
buzzfeednews.com/article/hameda…
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