According to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement Officer, it is common for immigration officials to identify themselves as "police officers" when cracking down on people in the country illegally.

"The officers of the CIE are police officers.Any suggestion to the contrary is both ridiculous and dangerous," ICE spokesman Shawn Neudauer said Wednesday in a statement.

The agency was heavily criticized this week by Dane County Sheriff David J. Mahoney and Madison Mayor Paul Soglin.

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"It's the universally recognized term for law enforcement and our staff regularly interacts with individuals around the world," said Neudauer, adding that the agents' affiliation was displayed on their uniforms and their jackets.

Soglin and Mahoney also claimed that local law enforcement officials had not been informed before the operation, putting all officers at risk and damaging the established trust with immigrant communities.

However, Mr. Neudauer said that an ICE supervisor had contacted a law enforcement official in Madison about these operations several days before its completion.

"In addition, ICE notified local communication centers of law enforcement in each county where ICE agents were operating," said Neudauer.

"Any rumor or suggestion that ICE would not have notified local police services before the start of our recent Wisconsin operations is inaccurate."

He added that for operational security reasons, federal law enforcement agencies are not required to provide specific and detailed information about operations when local law enforcement is not involved. not directly involved.

"However, giving a courtesy notice on the presence of an outside agency is a common practice among law enforcement agencies that helps to prevent communication problems and ensures that agents of different agencies work safely in the police. same

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