Unfortunately, things have taken a turn for the worse concerning the increased focus on citizens who are immigrants this past year. Now, masked agents are spotted relatively frequently all over the country, and there really is no way to tell if they’re even real police. Most recently, masked police lined the hallways of immigration court halls in New York City, New York, to intimidate families passing through. It feels inhumane to watch, and honestly, I have no idea why more people don’t see an issue with random masked people in courtroom settings.
The above video looks to be taken inside an immigration courtroom hallway in New York City. The person filming is likely someone belonging to the family walking down the hallway. However, lining the walls of the same hallway are various masked individuals wearing police badges around their necks; some aren’t wearing badges at all. Unfortunately, badges are incredibly easy to forge and purchase online, so there is no real way for the people passing them by to know if they are genuine officers. You can see that the family passing through the hallway includes a small child, which really makes things much worse in perspective.
Commentators on the Reddit video were disgusted by what they said, commending the masked individuals for their actions. Even though they are only standing there, it’s their intent that is really malicious. The top comment reciprocates this feeling, saying, “I don’t understand how anyone is ok with masked police.” Considering how much more normal they are becoming, I think it’s something more people should be concerned with.
Various other replies were very similar, trying to make heads or tails of why anyone would allow masked people in courtroom hallways. Who knows if someone could have slipped in and just posed as one of those officers? One person even alleges that the masked officers regularly take people, saying, “This is every single day now in this building. Usually, they just grab and take someone, but even if they don’t, I’ve had to walk up and down this hall of masked goons to observe court hearings. It is surreal and jarring.“
The narrative concerning ICE and masked police officers has become more and more prominent as of late. We even reported a story about a cyclist in Chicago who was chased down by slow ICE agents for no apparent reason. While I’d love for it to stop, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight.
