When agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conduct operations in communities and at residences to apprehend non-citizens, a common tactic involves misrepresenting their identity and intentions. These deceptive practices are known as “ruses.”
Officially sanctioned by ICE policy and taught at the ICE Training Academy, the use of ruses is a widespread strategy with minimal oversight. The Immigrant Defense Project’s legal action, Immigrant Defense Project, et al. v. ICE, et al., has brought to light internal ICE training materials and directives, including those detailing ruses, making them publicly accessible. Stemming from this Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit, IDP has developed the Defend Against ICE Raids and Community Arrests Toolkit, available in both English and Spanish.
Ruses are a frequently employed tactic by ICE during investigations and arrests of non-citizens. Since 2013, IDP has been tracking ICE arrests, tactics, and patterns, and has verified hundreds of reported raids, many of which involve the agency’s use of ruses.
While ICE’s strategies are constantly evolving, the utilization of ruses has notably increased since 2017. Understanding ICE tactics, such as ruses, can be crucial in preventing arrests and safeguarding individuals and families. Continue reading to gain a deeper understanding of the types of ruses ICE employs, their motivations behind using them, and effective measures to protect yourself and your loved ones. IDP offers further Know Your Rights resources here, including a flyer specifically addressing how ICE impersonates local police. This flyer is accessible in both English and Spanish.
Defining a Ruse in Immigration Enforcement
On a morning in July, around 10:00 AM, two ICE officers arrived at a Brooklyn home near Coney Island. The agents, wearing plain clothes without visible markings on the front, knocked on the door. CM and her friend approached the door but kept it closed. The agents, in broken Spanish, claimed they wished to discuss the bible. CM and her friend remained cautious and did not open the door. The agents soon departed, and as they turned to leave, CM and her friend noticed the word “ICE” on the back of their jackets. These agents then proceeded to several other apartments in the vicinity.
– Story 1255 [CM], Brooklyn, NY, January 2019 [Initials are used to protect identities].
Image depicting a person at a door speaking to someone partially visible outside, representing an in-person ruse by ICE agents.
A ruse in the context of immigration enforcement is a deliberate tactic used by ICE to gain access to a pre-identified individual targeted for arrest. The strategy behind ruses is to entice a person into a public area or to secure permission to enter a private residence to confirm their presence. Once ICE agents visually confirm the identity of their target, they can proceed with their objective of apprehending the individual.
ICE agents are authorized and encouraged to employ ruses. These tactics are used to circumvent the need for judicial warrants to enter homes or to gather information about the person they are seeking. A frequent ruse involves ICE agents falsely presenting themselves as local law enforcement to conceal their true agency. Sometimes, this involves mimicking aspects of a local Immigration Enforcement Uniform, or simply wearing generic law enforcement-style clothing to appear official.
Judicial warrants are rarely in the possession of ICE agents, making consent necessary for legal home entry. Knowing that individuals are unlikely to consent if aware of the agents’ ICE affiliation, agents resort to deception about their identity and purpose. This manipulation aims to persuade unsuspecting individuals to open their doors, unknowingly forfeiting their right to deny entry.
Image illustrating a phone with a speech bubble, symbolizing phone ruses used by ICE agents to contact and potentially lure targets.
ICE’s Perspective on Ruses:
Image showing a quote box with text from ICE materials defining ruses as a tactic for controlled law enforcement encounters.
“A ruse is a tactic designed to control the time and location of a law enforcement encounter. The result is improved safety for the officers and the public by reducing the opportunity for the target to flee.”
– ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, Fugitive Operations Handbook, July 23, 2010.
Interpretation: By misrepresenting our identity or intentions, individuals are less likely to exercise their right to refuse home entry or answer our questions.
“The USMS [US Marshal Service], FBI and various other federal, state and local agencies have successfully used ‘ruses’ to lure targets to locations where the arrests were made with the least amount of danger to both the officers and targets. The use of a ruse during an arrest means that we control the time and location, not the target.[…] Ruses can run the gamut from announcing that you are with ORO and looking for a person other than the target to adopting the guise of another agency (federal, state or local) or that of a private entity.”
– John Torres, Acting Director of ICE, Memorandum on Use of Ruses During Arrest Operations, Aug. 15, 2005.
Image of a speech bubble icon with text inside highlighting the deceptive nature of ruses used by ICE.
The Purpose Behind ICE’s Use of Ruses
ICE employs ruses to gain entry into private residences or to extract information from individuals without disclosing their ICE affiliation. The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution extends its protections against unreasonable searches and seizures to everyone within the United States, irrespective of immigration status.
This constitutional protection means that ICE is legally barred from entering a home without either a judicial warrant (a warrant authorized by a judge) or explicit voluntary consent from a resident of legal age. Since they seldom possess judicial warrants, they rely on obtaining consent to legally enter a residence. *Ruses serve as a tool for ICE agents to gain access to homes without revealing their identity as ICE.**
While ICE agents might claim to possess a “warrant,” they often refer to administrative warrants, which are not equivalent to judicial warrants. An administrative warrant used by ICE is merely an internal ICE form, not endorsed by a judge, and requires a lower legal threshold to obtain compared to a judicial warrant.
ICE’s Rationale, in their Own Training Materials:
Image of a quote box with text from ICE materials explaining administrative warrants do not authorize home entry without consent.
“Because neither a Warrant for Arrest of Alien (1-200) nor an administrative Warrant of Removal (1-205) authorizes you to enter the subject’s residence or anywhere else affording a reasonable expectation of privacy, you must obtain voluntary consent before entering a residence.”
– ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, Fugitive Operations Handbook, July 23, 2010.
Interpretation: We understand that our administrative warrant does not grant us the legal right to enter your home; therefore, we must secure your permission to come inside.
Image of a quote box from ICE training materials emphasizing the need for "knowing and intelligent" consent for home entry.
Image of a quote box from ICE materials highlighting the "knowing and intelligent" consent requirement in relation to ruses.
– Undated ICE Fourth Amendment presentation.
Methods ICE Uses to Locate Individuals
ICE has significantly expanded its capabilities to track and monitor individuals targeted for deportation. Typically, ICE conducts investigations on individuals, utilizing databases and field surveillance to gather intelligence. This includes confirming residential addresses, workplaces, and other frequently visited locations within the community. Through surveillance, ICE agents can visually identify their target, understand their routines, and ascertain who resides with them.
Ruses are not solely employed to gain warrantless entry into homes. ICE agents also utilize ruses during field surveillance to collect information about their targets. A prevalent ruse involves agents impersonating local police. By pretending to be local law enforcement, ICE agents fabricate investigations into sham crimes or pursue nonexistent criminal suspects to identify and determine if their target is present at a location, and if not, to discover their whereabouts. This might involve agents wearing clothing resembling a generic immigration enforcement uniform to project authority.
During these ruses, ICE agents will often dress in plain clothes (without standard ICE immigration enforcement uniform or visible badges), sometimes adopting colors similar to local police uniforms, or wearing vests emblazoned with “POLICE” across the front. They will identify themselves as police officers and claim to be investigating a criminal case or suspect. Occasionally, they may present a photograph of a “suspect,” falsely associating the person in the photo with someone residing in the home, even if the image is unrelated. ICE agents use ruses in field surveillance to pinpoint the location of their targeted non-citizen.
ICE’s Training on Surveillance Tactics:
Image of a quote box from ICE training material describing surveillance tactics including questioning neighbors and peering into windows.
Interpretation: ICE agents are trained to conduct surveillance, which includes observing your home and workplace, questioning your friends, family, neighbors, and employer, and even looking into your windows.
– Undated ICE Fourth Amendment presentation.
ICE Training on the Use of Ruses
Yes, ICE explicitly trains its officers to use ruses, with very few limitations. Agents receive instruction on conducting ruses as part of their training, including suggested ruse scenarios and techniques to deceive and confuse individuals.
ICE agents are specifically trained in conversation control and redirection. They are taught conversational techniques to obscure their true identity and objectives, manipulating individuals into feeling safe or obligated to grant them home entry or share information.
Remember to always ask clarifying questions before opening your door or allowing anyone inside. If someone at your door claims to be police or law enforcement, ask for specifics. Both ICE and local law enforcement require either a judicial warrant or consent to enter your residence. When ICE agents employ ruses and impersonate police, they often make requests to “take a quick look around” or “come in to talk,” diverting attention from the fact they are seeking consent to enter, thereby preventing you from exercising your right to refuse entry.
ICE Training Materials on Deception:
Image of a quote box from ICE training materials discussing conversational techniques to gain entry and consent.
– ICE Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, 4th Amendment Training (Refresher for Enforcement & Removal Operations Fugitive Operations), July 2011.
At 6:20 am, a knock came at the door of MC’s home, where she lives with her husband, children, and another family. Three men in dark blue clothing and vests marked “POLICE” were knocking on both the door and windows. The window knocking woke MC’s 8-year-old autistic child, who began to cry. MC, without opening the door, asked who was there in English. The men responded, “police.” They then stated they were looking for a man named Lucas. MC informed them that no one by that name lived there. The men then asked if she could open the door because of the cold weather outside. They further inquired if MC spoke Spanish. Upon her confirmation, they said they merely wanted to verify that the men inside were not the individuals they sought. MC asked if they possessed a warrant to enter, to which they replied negatively. MC stated she would not permit entry, mentioning the presence of young children. The agents then said they only wanted to take “a quick look.” MC remained unresponsive, and one of the men threatened they would remain outside for 24 hours if she did not open the door. She reiterated her refusal to open the door. Eventually, the men departed in three unmarked cars, one with tinted windows.
Common Ruses Employed by ICE
Impersonating local law enforcement is a frequent ruse used by ICE. Agents often identify themselves as “police” or “law enforcement,” mimicking the behavior and dress of local officers. In doing so, they conceal any ICE badges or identifiers. They typically wear plain clothes, attire in colors similar to local police uniforms, and/or vests labeled “POLICE” across the front. This tactic directly plays on the visual authority of an immigration enforcement uniform without actually being one.
As part of a ruse, ICE agents deliberately lie or mislead individuals about their identity and their true objective: to locate and arrest a targeted non-citizen. When impersonating local police, ICE agents might fabricate a criminal investigation or identity theft case. They might claim to need to show photographs of a crime suspect to see if the resident recognizes them.
ICE ruses extend beyond impersonating local police. They also include posing as potential employers or even representatives of private businesses. Agents might drive vehicles resembling delivery vans, wear fabricated uniforms, or carry props like ladders and clipboards. They may intentionally be vague about their affiliation.
Ruses are not limited to in-person interactions. ICE agents also employ phone ruses to locate their targets. Through surveillance, ICE agents might obtain the phone number of their target but not their physical location.
Phone ruses used by ICE include pretending:
- To be local police requesting answers to a few questions.
- To be local police asking for a meeting because the person is a suspect in a criminal case.
- To have found a lost ID and needing to arrange a pickup location and time.
- To be calling from a local District Attorney’s office to arrange a meeting.
- To be calling from a local court to confirm an upcoming court date or update contact information.
ICE operates with very few constraints on the tactics they can employ in a ruse. However, they are restricted from ruses that suggest immediate danger requiring compliance (e.g., falsely claiming a gas leak necessitating evacuation) or involving non-ICE personnel in the deception. They are also prohibited from using the name of a local or state agency without prior permission or at least prior notification.
ICE continuously adapts and evolves its tactics. They may modify their ruses, adopting deceptions not yet documented.
ICE Training Examples of Ruses:
Image of a quote box from ICE training materials on verbal techniques for communication and consent.
– ICE Academy Detention and Removal Operations Training Division, “Verbal Techniques/Communication for Consent”, undated.
Image of a quote box from ICE training materials listing examples of ruses including pretending to be utility workers or process servers.
– Undated ICE Fourth Amendment presentation.
Image of a quote box from ICE training materials outlining ruses including pretending to be probation officers or bounty hunters.
– Undated ICE Fourth Amendment presentation.
Examples of raids reported to our ICEwatch map:
Six ICE agents arrived at RD’s Bronx home at 5:30 am. His wife answered the door, and the agents, not identifying themselves as ICE, asked for RD. One agent then introduced himself as “Detective Chad” from Manhattan, claimed to be investigating an open criminal case, and left a card before departing. RD’s wife relayed the incident to him, and RD, believing the agent was from the NYPD, called the number on the card, intending to go to the precinct to speak with him. Over the phone, the agent suggested he would rather come to RD. They arranged a time for the agent to visit RD’s home. Upon arrival, the ICE agents arrested RD and only then identified themselves as ICE.
MG, a construction independent contractor, received a call from a supposed client. MG and a colleague arrived at the job site the next day around 8 am, which turned out to be a private residence. Waiting for him was another worker, dressed in paint-splattered pants and work boots. They inspected the house together, and the worker asked MG if he was interested in the job. MG confirmed, and the worker asked him to wait ten minutes for his boss to arrive. MG and his colleague waited outside by their car. Ten minutes later, a van arrived carrying three ICE agents. The worker identified himself as ICE and requested IDs from MG and his colleague. After reviewing the IDs, the agents told MG’s colleague to leave and arrested MG.
Plain-clothes ICE agents came to MM’s house at 7 a.m., asking for him. MM was not home; his step-daughter answered. The agents told her they needed to speak with him about an ongoing criminal case but did not reveal their identity. They assured his step-daughter that he was not in trouble, merely that they needed to ask him questions about a case. Believing them to be police, the step-daughter provided MM’s phone number. The ICE agents then called MM, claiming to be investigating a case concerning “someone he knew” and had a few questions. They gave MM a generic name, implying he knew the person. ICE asked to meet him at a police precinct. MM inquired which precinct they preferred. They replied, “whichever is closest to you.” This raised MM’s suspicion, and he did not go to the 23rd police precinct, the nearest one, at the agreed time. ICE called again, asking his location, stating they were waiting. They then asked him to come to 26 Federal Plaza. Only then did MM realize they were ICE.
Two plain-clothes ICE agents arrived at VS’s home at 6:30 am. He was not present, but the agents obtained his phone number from VS’s wife, who believed they were police. The agents called VS, claiming to be police and wanting to discuss an incident under investigation. VS disclosed his location in New Jersey, where they subsequently arrested him.
Plain-clothes ICE agents pounded on the door of HVJ’s sister’s apartment at 5 am. HVJ’s sister answered, and the agents, without identifying themselves, asked for HVJ, stating they needed to confirm he lived there. HVJ’s sister, assuming they were NYPD, called HVJ and asked him to come to her apartment. Upon his arrival, the agents arrested him, then identified themselves as ICE.
ICE agents called YL’s mother on her cell phone at 6:30 am, pretending to be NYPD. They told YL’s mother that YL needed to go to the 83rd precinct to view photos related to an accident he had been involved in. YL’s mother informed YL about the call, and when YL went to the 83rd precinct later that morning, he was arrested by ICE agents just outside.
Protecting Yourself from ICE Ruses
Understanding ICE tactics is your first line of defense, empowering you during an ICE encounter, especially when they attempt to trick you out of asserting your rights. IDP has developed Know Your Rights materials, including flyers, posters, and infographics, that summarize common ICE ruses used in person and over the phone.
If someone comes to your door or calls, have a prepared plan of questions to ask.
- Request to see official identification and inquire about their agency to verify if they are immigration officials. If they identify as “police,” specifically ask if they are from DHS or ICE.
- Ask them to display any warrant by sliding it under the door. If they present a warrant, ensure it is signed by a judge (not an ICE official, which is an administrative warrant) and contains the correct name and address before considering letting them in.
- If they do not possess a judicial warrant, ICE is hoping for your consent to enter. You have the right to deny entry.
If you suspect ICE or other law enforcement is attempting to enter your home, have a strategy for keeping them out.
- You are within your rights to keep your door closed and remain silent.
- If they do not have a warrant, state clearly, “I do not want to answer any questions or let you in.”
If ICE agents are already inside your home, have a plan for what actions to take.
- If ICE agents are inside your home without your permission [or if you wish to revoke previously given permission], state firmly, “I do not consent to your presence here; please leave.” Repeat this until they depart.
- If ICE agents request passports or identification documents during an encounter, you have the right to say, “I do not wish to provide my documents” or “I do not want to give anything over.” Always prioritize your safety when asserting your rights. While you have the right to refuse document sharing, if you feel coerced or forced to provide them, you can and should still assert that you are not voluntarily sharing this information.
Five ICE agents, three in plain clothes and two wearing vests marked “POLICE,” arrived at MG’s Far Rockaway home at 6 am. They knocked and told MG’s roommate they were police looking for MG. The roommate closed the door and informed MG. MG went to the closed door and asked who it was. ICE agents claimed to be probation officers with papers for him to sign to verify his residence. MG asked them to slide the papers under the door, which they refused. An agent then called MG from an unknown number, repeating in Spanish that they were probation officers wanting to confirm his address. He also refused to slide papers under the door when requested. MG looked out the window and saw an officer signal to others that he was not coming out. Some officers left, but two remained. MG called the probation office, which confirmed they had not sent anyone.
For more detailed guidance on interacting with ICE, consult IDP’s Know Your Rights flyers, graphics, and additional resources.
ICEwatch homepage icon linking to the raids map.
ICEwatch
IDP tracks ICE raids and arrest trends on our ICEwatch map. Please note, the map updates are not in real-time.
To report an ICE raid involving a ruse, contact the Immigrant Defense Project Helpline at (212) 725-6422.
For further information on protecting yourself from ICE, explore our Know Your Rights flyers, graphics, and resources.
