The Truth About ICE Operations: Acting Director Todd Lyons & Sheriff Mark Dannels

ICE Operations and Priorities

• 🎯 ICE's primary focus is on criminal aliens, national security threats, and individuals who have been ordered deported but have failed to leave the country.
• ⚡ Customs and Border Protection (CBP) focuses on securing ports of entry and the borders, while ICE handles targeted enforcement within the interior of the country.
• ⚖️ ICE enforces the full portfolio of immigration law, including individuals who may not have committed a crime but are in the country illegally, emphasizing that breaking immigration law is a violation.

Enforcement and Due Process

• 💡 ICE asserts that individuals ordered deported after due process in immigration court must leave the country, refuting claims of deportation without due process.
• ⚠️ Entering the country outside of legal ports of entry or overstaying a visa constitutes breaking the law, and re-entry after deportation is a felony.
• 📈 ICE reports significant increases in arrests, with a high percentage of those arrested being actual criminal aliens, indicating a more robust enforcement approach.

Challenges and Morale

• ⚠️ ICE faces impediments such as threats, doxing, and rulings from certain judges, yet continues to make streets safer by removing criminal aliens.
• 🚨 Violence against ICE officers has significantly increased, with officers and their families facing threats, creating a stressful environment.
• 👍 Despite stress, morale within ICE is reported to be high, with increased recruitment and a renewed sense of mission, especially with improved equipment and personnel support.

Border Security and Sanctuary Cities

• 🇺🇸 Sheriff Mark Dannels reports a dramatic improvement in border security in Cochise County, Arizona, with a significant decrease in daily crossings since the change in administration.
• 🚫 Sanctuary cities and policies are criticized for hindering law enforcement's ability to detain and deport criminal aliens, leading to tragic outcomes.
• 🧱 The physical border barrier is being rebuilt and enhanced, reversing previous decisions that halted construction and led to the sale of materials, costing taxpayers more.

Criminal Enterprises and Smuggling

• 🔗 ICE's Homeland Security Investigations targets human trafficking, sex trafficking, and human smuggling, often uncovering criminal enterprises exploiting illegal aliens.
• 💰 Businesses that profit from illegal labor are being investigated, with ICE executing search warrants on worksites to address exploitation and criminal activity.
• 🗺️ A significant number of individuals who entered the country illegally under the previous administration are believed to be involved in criminal enterprises, including sex trafficking, drug distribution, and gangs.

Public Perception and Support

• 🗣️ ICE believes that mainstream media often fails to report the positive work being done, contributing to a negative narrative and increased assaults on officers.
• 🤝 While some city leadership opposes ICE, the rank-and-file law enforcement officers generally support cooperation, but fear repercussions for assisting ICE.
• 🇺🇸 The people of Cochise County understand and support Sheriff Dannels' commitment to upholding the rule of law, with high morale among his deputies who feel empowered to do their jobs.