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An Open Letter to an ICE/CBP Agent in a Mask
Dear Agent Who Wears a Mask,
I am going to assume that you and I share a few things. My assumption is that we love our families, we want our communities to feel safe, we feel responsible for making the world a better place, and that we want our country to live up to its ideals.
Even with that common ground, we make very different decisions. And I have to admit that I struggle to understand why you would join ICE. I want to ask you some questions, and I want to have a real dialogue with you. Seriously, write me back.
I’m sure there are reasons that you took this job. What are they? How much is financial and how much is based on your beliefs? Have you ever thought about whether this job is the highest, best purpose for your life? Does that idea have any spiritual resonance for you? What else could you be doing to build a safer community and a stronger country? If you could take that $50,000 signing bonus for any government job what else would you choose?
Since immigration enforcement is based on the belief that immigrants are harming us in some way, how do you describe that harm? What did they do that personally motivated you to take this job? What would it take for you to think about immigrants as individuals, all with different lives and histories? How can they earn your trust and respect? If you could join together to build community together, how would you do that?
To the extent that you are focused on getting “criminals” off the street, you have general support from the public. No one is protesting your actions to detain true criminals, particularly any dangerous ones, so long as they receive due process. But when you embark on this mission, what does “criminal” actually mean to you? Do you think of people whose only crime is being here illegally as criminals? You and I both know that our immigration system is broken and doesn’t leave those people with many pathways. Let’s agree that they need to have some consequences for having broken immigration law. What do you think are the range of appropriate consequences they should face? Under what circumstances should the consequences include violence? And how about folks who have committed small misdemeanors- what do they deserve as a consequence? Have you ever committed a misdemeanor? I know I have.
You want people who have immigrated here illegally out of our country. Do you have any friends or neighbors who are undocumented? Have you ever hired workers who don’t have papers? Have you thought about how many undocumented people may be picking the produce you eat, washing your dishes when you finish at a restaurant, or delivering your UberEats? As long as they’re taking care of their responsibilities and not breaking the law, we can all live together peacefully. What is it that drives you to break that community peace?
Many people you pick up are not criminals. Some are even American citizens. What do you tell yourself about such a reckless approach? How do you justify your racial profiling that puts people at risk just because of the color of their skin, not because of anything they have done? To the extent that the ends justify the means, how far would you be willing to go? Would you feel differently if white people were being repeatedly misapprehended? Speaking of which, why aren’t white people being detained in your actions?
When you’re in the streets of our communities, you face immense shame. People yell at you, curse at you, degrade you. What do you tell yourself when they do? How do you balance your job versus their rights? What empathy do you have for those people, their anger and their fear? What are paths you could take to make our community safe which would not incite such anger nor require you to be subject to such shaming?
When you hear about history, do you ever wonder what you would have done at important moments? During slavery, would you have been a fugitive slave catcher or would you have been part of the Underground Railroad? Would you have helped Anne Frank hide in your attic or turned her over to the Nazis? How do you think your descendents will look back on your choice to join ICE now?
My children asked me this week about how to protect their friends from you. My youngest was so sad that many of her friends were home from school, hiding from you; she was terrified they would be taken. Another walked out of middle school to protest your violence. What do you tell your kids or the children in your family about your work? What would you say to my children now that you know that you make them scared and angry? What would you say to the children who have seen videos of you violently apprehending their mother or father?
I talked with educators this week about their students staying home from school. One principal told me that he had whole classrooms with no students in them. He asked his teachers to reach out to them and post video lessons. In Charlotte, officials said 20,000 students missed school one day. I was proud that 30,000 of their colleagues protested. What does it mean to you that many of our children’s formative years are being spent learning to distrust and protest their own government? What lessons are these children learning? How will it impact how they live their lives? What role did you play in that?
Meanwhile businesses closed. Construction sites shut down because they didn’t have workers. How much of this disruption to our lives and our economy is worth it for your actions?
North Carolina has a law prohibiting the wearing of masks to conceal your identity. What consequence should you pay for breaking that law? How do you justify breaking that law? Why is it morally acceptable to break that law? Why is that law something you can disregard but crossing the border is a high crime? What laws deserve the enforcement approach you are using and which do not? And, why do you target your enforcement approaches on people who are Latino or speak Spanish? Is it worse for some people to break laws than others?
North Carolina is also a “stand your ground” state, where by law someone can use deadly force to defend themselves in certain cases. In the media, I see multiple examples of men like you pointing guns at people, but concealing your identity, refusing to provide identification, and refusing to show a warrant. Indeed, the FBI has warned that criminals are posing as ICE agents, which seems quite easy since you provide no identification. Just a few months ago a Minnesota legislator was murdered by a man posing as a police officer. Given that legitimate fear, what’s stopping people from pointing their gun back at you? What happens when they do? Will you shoot them? How can you justify that? Why not just show them a badge and ID? Why not get a warrant? Can you think of a way to de-escalate violence rather than escalating it? I have to be honest, that the idea of you and that guy with a gun really scares me – for both of you.
Finally, I wonder what you think about Jesse Welles’ song “Join ICE”? What parts of it ring true to you? Which parts are unfair?
I look forward to hearing your answers. You can send me back any questions you have. Email me at
graig@graigmeyer.com.
Graig Meyer
Chapel Hill, North Carolina”
