ICE Agents Get Stunning New Order From Top Brass About Engaging Protesters, Internal Email Shows

(Photo by Cristina Matuozzi/Sipa USA)(Sipa via AP Images)

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Minnesota have been ordered not to “COMMUNICATE OR ENGAGE” with “AGITATORS” during future operations, according to new internal guidance from the agency’s top brass.

The new instructions, circulated on Wednesday and exclusively reviewed by Reuters, also limit ICE activity to immigrants with criminal charges or convictions in a departure from the broad sweeps that have sparked fierce backlash, legal challenges, and street protests.

The email, from a senior agency official, reads in part:

DO NOT COMMUNICATE OR ENGAGE WITH AGITATORS. It serves no purpose other than inflaming the situation. No one is going to convince the other. The only communication should be the officers issuing commands.

Under the new approach, Reuters reported that ICE officers will be equipped with megaphones and instructed to clearly announce each step of an arrest, an effort to impose order after the volatile scenes previously seen.

The guidance offers the clearest picture yet of how the Trump administration is recalibrating its immigration crackdown following intense political pressure in Minnesota, following the shooting death of two US citizens by federal officers.

The new order comes days after President Donald Trump handed control of Minnesota operations to border czar Tom Homan.

Gregory Bovino, a Border Patrol commander who had been leading the operation, has been demoted and is expected to retire.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!