When Enforcers Hide Their Face, They Lose Their Soul!

I spent decades leading police officers and helping reform policing into a profession rooted in trust, transparency, and respect for human dignity. That’s why I’m outraged—not at our local police—but at how Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are operating in our communities today.

Let me be clear: ICE agents are not police officers! And they certainly don’t act like professional, ethical law enforcement officers.

These federal agents, often masked and unidentifiable, are moving through neighborhoods like secret police. No name tags. No badges. No body cameras. No transparency. They knock on doors without judicial warrants, pressure families, and in some cases, use force that borders on assault—all while the public is left in the dark about who they are and what authority they’re actually exercising.

This isn’t how professional law enforcers behave in a free society.

When we trained officers in democratic policing, we taught that trust is earned through visibility, accountability, and adherence to a clear ethical code. That code—The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics—starts with these words: “As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind…” and it goes on to call for honesty, courage, self-restraint, and respect for constitutional rights.

ICE’s behavior violates this code in almost every way.

Wearing masks and refusing to identify yourself? That’s what gang members do—not ethical law enforcement officers.

Failing to use body-worn cameras in a time of national demand for transparency? That’s a deliberate rejection of accountability.

Detaining individuals without judicial warrants or due process? That’s a breakdown of the rule of law.

What ICE is doing is not policing. It’s intimidation.

And when they act this way—faceless, nameless, shielded from public scrutiny—they do something even worse than violate individual rights: they undermine the credibility of all law enforcement. Every masked ICE agent dragging someone away in the shadows makes it harder for real police officers to build the relationships their jobs require.

— If you believe in justice, you should be outraged.

— If you believe in the Constitution, you should be alarmed.

— If you’ve spent your life—as I have—trying to elevate policing into a noble, respected, and democratic profession, then you should be furious.

Now let’s not confuse issues here. This is not about immigration policy. People of good faith can debate immigration law. But what no one should defend is a federal law enforcement agency that operates outside of professional norms, outside of public view, and outside the basic principles of human decency.

Here’s the bottom line: ICE agents should be required to follow the same ethical and professional standards we expect of every other law enforcement officer in this country. That includes:

• Wearing clear identification
• Using body-worn cameras
• Presenting judicial warrants when entering private homes
• Following the principles of proportionality, necessity, and respect for all persons

And if they can’t or won’t meet that standard, then they have no business enforcing the laws of this nation.

We have seen what happens when unchecked power goes unchallenged—when secrecy replaces accountability, and when fear replaces trust. That’s not law enforcement. That’s tyranny.

And it’s happening right now. On our streets. Behind masks. Without names.

It’s time for the public, for lawmakers, and especially for leaders in professional policing to speak out and say: enough.This is not who we are. This is not what justice looks like.

Let’s not wait for the next tragedy. Let’s demand that every agency that enforces the law—local, state, or federal—does so ethically, openly, and with full respect for the rights of the people they serve.

Because in the end, when those sworn to enforce our laws hides its face, they lose their soul.