Rash of ICE impersonation follows Trump immigration crackdown, police say

Here's a new one. Police claiming to work for ICE. Are they or aren't they?

Dayton-area officers, claiming to work for ICE, visited schools in Cincinnati, district says​

Cincinnati Public Schools says two out-of-town law enforcement officers claiming to be working on behalf of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) visited three of the district's schools Wednesday morning to conduct "wellness checks" on several students believed to be enrolled at CPS.

Murphy identified one of the officers as Village of Gratis Police Chief Tonina Lamanna. Gratis is located in the Dayton area and is about an hour drive from Cincinnati.

Superintendent Murphy and the district's General Counsel Daniel Hoying say officers did not present any legal warrants or interact with any students. The two praised staff for taking action and following protocol to ensure student safety.

essentialsaltes said:

Dayton-area officers, claiming to work for ICE, visited schools in Cincinnati, district says
Murphy identified one of the officers as Village of Gratis Police Chief Tonina Lamanna. Gratis is located in the Dayton area and is about an hour drive from Cincinnati.

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This was pretty swift.

Gratis police officer resigns, village suspends ICE partnership​

Gratis police officer Jeff Baylor has turned in his resignation letter nearly a week after what transpired at some Cincinnati schools, the Gratis mayor’s office confirmed.

Baylor ... said that Chief Lamanna ordered him to go with her as police backup.

In the fallout since, Chief Lamanna and officer Baylor were put on administrative leave pending an investigation into the incident.

Gratis interm [sic] Police Chief Matt Jones also confirmed the resignation and that the department has suspended its partnership with Immigration and Customs Enforcement through Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Fake ICE agents terrorize immigrants amid Trump’s crackdown​

A Noticias Telemundo investigation documented a marked increase in cases of people posing as federal agents to rob, intimidate and even injure or rape immigrants.

Although neither the federal government nor local authorities publish specific records of people impersonating immigration agents, an analysis by Noticias Telemundo, based on court records, police reports and news articles, suggests that the number of such crimes has increased over the past year.

Our investigation documented at least 31 cases in 2025 alone — a sharp increase compared to an average of 5.3 incidents per year in the previous decade. Overall, we identified 84 instances of impostors posing as immigration agents between 2014 and 2025.

In the case of the Mexican immigrant, he said at least four assailants robbed him and the other immigrants in the house at gunpoint. He was struck in the head with a weapon; another immigrant who lived in the house said his forehead was split open with the butt of a gun; it required more than 10 stitches and staples. The assailants also pointed a gun at a baby as they demanded money from the infant’s parents, the immigrants said.

The recorded incidents include intimidation, robbery and sexual assault, as well as so-called “immigration operations” carried out by armed vigilantes against what they describe as an “invasion” of foreigners in the U.S.

According to an internal security bulletin obtained by Noticias Telemundo, the FBI warned in October that criminals were “taking advantage of ICE’s higher public profile and media coverage to target vulnerable communities and commit criminal activity.”

The FBI warned in the bulletin that these incidents make it “difficult for the community to distinguish” between legitimate officers conducting lawful law enforcement actions and impostors engaging in criminal activity, which damages trust between the local community and law enforcement officers.

In the past, impostors typically stole from immigrants. However, John Tobon, a retired deputy director of Homeland Security Investigations (ICE’s investigative arm), told Noticias Telemundo that these crimes have recently become “much more aggressive and violent.” [Just like the authentic ones!]