Two fake ICE agents harassed California shoppers, businesses just weeks after raids, police say
Two men seeking notoriety on their personal social media pages posed as immigration officers in Fresno, according to police, just weeks after raids in the San Joaquin Valley stoked fear for many undocumented residents.
The men wore vests, cameras and even a wig to appear to be U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents as they harassed people at 11 different businesses in Fresno, police said on Thursday.
Multiple residents complained about the harassment from the men filming themselves as they confronted shoppers, police said.
The incident comes weeks after a three-day U.S. Border Patrol operation in Kern County that resulted in 78 arrests. The deportation raids stirred fear for many Valley families and children, sparked at least one lawsuit and several protests.
Local nonprofit Faith in the Valley also warned of fraudsters on Wednesday.
That same day, officers in the northeast district saw the men in the River Park Shopping Center, police said.
The men were wearing tactical vests that were purposely made to look like they said “ICE,” police said.
“At one location, they told employees they were conducting an investigation and needed to see specific business documents,” police said in a news release.
The two men were arrested for a misdemeanor of impersonating a police officer, police said. They were cited and released.
Police said they would not release the names of the men publicly because they were doing it for notoriety.
