Memo To DHS Secretary

Recent events on attacks and assaults against Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they go about the difficult mission of finding and arresting illegal aliens to schedule for deportation indicate that we have entered a new phase. The people opposing the (ICE) raids and arrests are no longer simply demonstrating and protesting against the raids, they are employing additional tactics because the ones currently used are not deterring President Trump or his immigration enforcement officials from continuing the mass deportations. The attacks have not only escalated but have become increasingly dangerous for (ICE) field agents.

I have said in past columns on this site and in numerous television and radio interviews that it was important in the early days of the resistance for ICE officials to make it clear to agents that at they had the authority to use all reasonable means to ensure that they could carry out their mission and do so safely. Instead, all I saw was the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security appear on news shows warning that those who attacked ICE agents would be subject to arrest and prosecution. That message is not a deterrent and it is being ignored. These people are not afraid of being arrested. These are people engaged in insurrection and terrorism. Insurrectionists and terrorists use guerrilla warfare type tactics to try to defeat an opposition government that has superior weapons, infrastructure and resources than they do.

Let us consider the evolution of this pro illegal immigration movement. It may have started out that this involved well meaning believers and all we saw was people showing up in the streets holding up signs and chanting infantile slogans. But like every one of these movements going back to occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter, these protest movements were high jacked by an anti-government communist movement hell bent on creating chaos to the point of having civil society collapse. They use otherwise garden-variety protest movements that are first amendment protected as a mask. It sucks in and dupe's certain media outlets, some gullible politicians and citizens who are not fully informed. The anarchists hope to gain legitimacy using this tactic.

What we are seeing now is that the tactics being used are straight out of the anarchist's playbook. Tactics like doxing agents are designed to creat fear and bring it to the homes of agents. Now we are seeing outright physical attacks and agents are being shot at. In one instance 10 insurrectionists were arrested and under indictment for planning a large scale armed assault on (ICE) operations in Texas. These are guerrilla warfare style tactics used in war torn countries to destabilize and overthrow banana republic governments.

My concern is that the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security and the Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement do not understand the nature of the enemy. The tactics use that I previously mentioned are war tactics. Passive rhetoric keeps coming out that attacks against agent won’t be tolerated and that arrests will be made. Those are messages used in urban policing. When your agents are being shot at, detention facilities are being attacked and firebombed, you need a war time mind set. President Trump called in the Marines to be a force multiplier. It is time to use these war fighters. (ICE) vehicles used in raiding and conveying operations should have a Marine convoy out front to prevent the vehicles from ambushes along the way. I am tired of seeing agents have to exit their vehicles and try to get people from out of the front of their cars.

A perimeter should be set up around the operation including the detention facility itself to keep the insurrectionists from blocking entry or attacking a facility. Drones should be used to protect the perimeter. Anybody breaching the perimeter and refusing orders to leave the area and who continue making their way toward agents or facilities should be considered a threat and be neutralized by drone use before they get within range to kill or injure an agent of before attacking a facility. These are not over the top recommendations. This pro illegal immigration movement has declared war on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the federal government. They themselves as I previously mentioned are resorting to using guerrilla war type tactics. They are on their way to killing an agent. It will not be long before the insurrectionists make use of explosives. It is time for DHS to use more effective counter measures like those used in war.

You want to know who knows this? President Trump. He recently said he is tired of seeing cars carrying a law enforcement officer being attacked. He went even further and has given agents “total authorization” to protect themselves against agitators during enforcement actions. That is an open-ended authorization. I know what he means by leaving it open ended. It is for the Secretary Kristi Noem to come up with a plan. Trump called in the Marines awhile ago. Time to make use of them. Let (ICE) agents tend to the mission of deportation. That is what they are trained to do. Let the Marines take over security operations. That is what they are good at. Among other things that they handle, they provide security for military base facilities. They know how to provide for and accomplish facilities and personnel security.

Courage is needed here by higher ups at DHS and (ICE). They put agents in harms way with a mission. They have an obligation to provide all the safety they can for the agents to succeed and go home at night.

It is time to stop playing patty cake with these armed and dangerous insurrectionists. The federal government has superior resources. Stop being afraid to use them and crush this movement. Force them to abandon their fight psychologically and physically.

Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. is former Sheriff of Milwaukee Co, Wisconsin, President of Americas Sheriff LLC, President of Rise Up Wisconsin INC, Board member of the Crime Research Center, author of the book Cop Under Fire: Beyond Hashtags of Race Crime and Politics for a Better America. To learn more visit www.americassheriff.com