1. United States
2. Fla.
3. Letter

At least two dozen ICE agents are alleged to have exploited their power repeatedly against detainees, romantic partners, protesters and for personal financial gain. Seventeen have been convicted. Among them: A 20-year ICE veteran and field supervisor in Cincinnati was jailed after being accused of repeatedly abusing and attempting to strangle his girlfriend. An ICE contractor in Louisiana admitted to sexually abusing a detainee in custody for over five months. A deportation officer in Houston was indicted for allegedly accepting cash bribes to remove immigration detainers. An ICE supervisor in New York was charged with providing confidential immigration information in exchange for gifts. Two ICE investigators in Utah were sentenced to prison for stealing synthetic drugs from government custody and reselling them. Other cases involved agents driving drunk with government firearms in their vehicles, threatening to run deputies’ immigration status during arrests or assaulting protesters while off-duty. In one case, a longtime ICE supervisor was arrested in a sting operation after allegedly arranging to pay for sex with someone he believed was a 13-year-old girl while driving a government vehicle and carrying his official badge and firearm. The power imbalance is what makes this so dangerous - ICE agents control whether someone is detained, deported or separated from their family. They operate in facilities where detainees have limited access to legal counsel. The public is left extremely vulnerable. Accusations of assault, sexual abuse, bribery and exploitation don't call for expansion, additional funding or “absolute immunity.” You want to talk about public safety? Accountability has to go both ways.