OPINION:
Critics are sounding alarms over three U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement-involved shootings in a three‑month period, as if this represents some extraordinary breakdown in judgment. It does not.
Across the United States, multiple officer‑involved shootings occur every week. They are handled by local, county, state and federal officers who confront violent resistance as part of their sworn duty. These incidents rarely make national news because the public understands the inherent danger of law enforcement.
ICE officers face all that — and more.
Their mission is made significantly more dangerous by the growing number of sanctuary cities and states that refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement. Minneapolis is a prime example. When local jurisdictions decline to honor detainers, block information sharing or release violent offenders back into the community, ICE is forced to locate and arrest those people in uncontrolled environments, often in residential neighborhoods or public spaces. That elevates the risk for officers, the subjects and the public.
Given these conditions, three shootings in three months is not a scandal. It is a remarkably low number for an agency tasked with apprehending fugitives, traffickers and violent offenders who often have every incentive to fight rather than comply.
ICE officers are highly trained federal professionals. They follow the same use‑of‑force standards as every other federal agency. They deserve the same respect.
If cities choose to obstruct federal law enforcement, then they should not feign shock when ICE must operate under far more dangerous circumstances.
Let these officers do their jobs.
GARY N. DARBY
Mesa, Arizona
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