Federal agents were told that the FBI will no longer investigate confrontations involving immigration officers, according to a report from The New York Times. FBI investigations often produced evidence that could result in prosecutions against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents.
The memo said the FBI would no longer be investigating claims of assault against immigration agents, The Times reported. The announcement comes after ICE agents shot and killed two people in Texas and Maine during enforcement operations.
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The memo announcing the change circulated amongst FBI agents Thursday, according to sources who spoke to The Times. FBI agents pass the information along to ICE.
The FBI and DHS denied the changes in a statement to The Times.
“The relationship between D.H.S. and D.O.J. in investigating assault on federal officer cases has not changed, and F.B.I. will continue to investigate in accordance with agency policy,” the statement said. “This administration has been clear, anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
What have investigations produced so far?
According to The Times’ report, the Trump administration has filed charges for assaulting a federal officer — which carry sentences of up to eight years in prison — against more than 550 people. A majority, around 400 of them, have already been resolved, The Times found, and about half of those resulted in acquittals or charges being dropped.
FBI investigations focused on whether immigration agents were assaulted before they used violence during their operations. Sources told The Times, however, that these investigations often produced evidence that could be used to try immigration officers for local or civil rights offenses instead.
Homeland Security Investigations, DHS’s internal unit, would likely take over any future investigations into incidents involving immigration agents. That could leave a gap in holding agents accountable, The Times reported.
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