Police Chiefs Blast Federal Agents' Tactics

Local law enforcement leaders condemn aggressive actions by ICE and CBP officers.

Jan. 30, 2026 at 8:15am

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Police chiefs across the country are furious over the tactics used by federal immigration agents, with many saying the agents' behavior is damaging the public's trust in law enforcement. Several chiefs have reported incidents where their own officers were detained by ICE agents solely based on their race, and they've received "endless complaints" about federal agents' conduct. The criticism comes as the Justice Department has stepped back from efforts to reform troubled police departments, leaving local agencies to try to rebuild community relations on their own.

Why it matters

The tensions between local police and federal immigration enforcement highlight a growing divide, with community-oriented policing models clashing with the aggressive tactics of agencies like ICE and CBP. As local departments work to improve trust and de-escalation, the federal agents' actions are undermining those efforts and negatively impacting the public's perception of law enforcement as a whole.

The details

Police chiefs have reported incidents where their own officers were detained by ICE agents solely based on their race, with the agents ignoring claims that the individuals were law enforcement. In one case, a U.S. citizen who worked as a corrections officer was taken into custody until he could prove his identity. An ICE officer was also charged with misdemeanor battery after attacking someone filming a federal agent. Local leaders say the federal agents' behavior is "bush-league policing" and "impacting our brand as police officers."

  • Last week, police chiefs in Minnesota and Maine reported incidents where their officers were detained by ICE agents.
  • In 2020, Minnesota began efforts to reform its police department after the killing of George Floyd.

The players

Kelly McCarthy

Chief of Police in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.

Jerry P. Dyer

Republican Mayor of Fresno, California.

Mark Bruley

Police Chief in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

DeRay Mckesson

Executive Director of Campaign Zero, an organization that seeks to reduce police violence.

Brandon del Pozo

Former police chief.

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What they’re saying

“I would have been embarrassed if he had been one of my officers.”

— Kelly McCarthy, Police Chief in Mendota Heights, Minnesota

“In order for police to be accepted in communities, they have to have permission to police those communities from the people who live there.”

— Jerry P. Dyer, Mayor of Fresno, California

“It's impacting our brand as police officers, our brand of how hard we work to build trust.”

— Mark Bruley, Police Chief in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota

“ICE has helped people understand that the system is broken, that it's not just one or two bad officers.”

— DeRay Mckesson, Executive Director of Campaign Zero

“Never before in our lifetime have they had a better foil than they have in ICE. The nation's attention is rightly focused on flagrant abuses at the federal level that constantly dominate the news and provide a clear moral compass for how police shouldn't behave.”

— Brandon del Pozo, Former Police Chief

What’s next

Local police departments are working to distance themselves from the aggressive tactics of federal immigration agents, with some cities distributing information about their officers' uniforms to differentiate them from ICE and Border Patrol.

The takeaway

The tensions between local police and federal immigration enforcement highlight the need for law enforcement agencies to rebuild trust with the communities they serve. As local departments work to implement community-oriented policing models, the actions of federal agents are undermining those efforts and damaging the public's perception of law enforcement as a whole.