Letter: It is reasonable to think the worst and resist when agents claiming the right to arrest you are not wearing uniforms
(Todd Heisler | The New York Times) An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent makes an arrest in Miami on May 28, 2025.
Arrests by groups of ICE agents in plain clothes is a problem. Law enforcement officers should be in uniform when making an arrest, so the person arrested would know they are part of a legal system that has due process. That person would know that the case can be brought before a judge for determination of guilt.
Arrests by plain-clothes officers, even if they show a badge, is not good enough because in order to see that the badge is real a person would have to be close enough to be grabbed.
Unless a person can tell they are being arrested by a legitimate authority they could reasonably assume they are being kidnapped and are within their rights to resist.
Dave Powelson, Logan
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