Houston warns residents to watch out for imposter ICE agents

An ICE agent.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Authorities in Houston have already warned residents about ne'er-do-wells pretending to be police officers and telling citizens they are under mandatory evacuation in order to rob them after they leave; now, the city is sharing with the public "disturbing reports" that in some neighborhoods, people are also going door-to-door impersonating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents so they can scare the occupants away and burglarize their empty homes.

Actual ICE officials wear badges that say "special agent," and Houston wants its residents to ask anyone who knocks on their door and says they are an officer to show their badge and credentials. The city also noted that as long as Hurricane Harvey relief efforts are underway, there will not be any immigration enforcement operations in the affected areas.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.