A person in North Carolina, United States, allegedly entered a motel near Raleigh while posing as an ICE agent, according to The Independent. He has since been charged with many crimes. If a person didn’t engage in sexual activity with him, he is accused of threatening her with imprisonment.
The accused, Carl Thomas Bennett, Jr, 37, was arrested on Sunday. According to the arrest subpoena, he” threatened to arrest the victim if she did not had sex with him” by using a fraudulent business cards with a symbol.
Bennett faces nine costs, including breaking and entering, hands of cocaine, kidnapping, murder, and portraying law enforcement. He appeared in court on Monday, where his demand for discharge was denied. He has been given a prosecutor appearance order in February and is currently being held at the Wake County Detention Center. He is alleged to have intruding acts that date back to February and June 2024, according to court documents.
Concerns about abuse
In the US, reports of people acting as immigration officers have also been made. According to Nikki Barin Baena of the native Siembra NC-based immigrant advocacy group, the allegations raise concerns about abuse in the current environment.
According to Baena,” This is kind of a great storm given what is going on right then and it’s opening up opportunities for people who aren’t doing any type of law enforcement to take advantage of persons in bad way,” Baena was quoted by WRAL News.
She continued,” People wouldn’t be surprised that an ICE agent behaved inappropriately because they frequently act in inappropriate ways to elicit information from people.”
This incident follows another case last week in the US state of Missouri, where a man was charged with burglary, harassment, assault, and impersonating law enforcement. He allegedly broke into a home, demanded to see immigration documents, and threatened to use a gun.
Broader fears over immigration policies
Communities across the US have reported growing fear and anxiety as immigration officials carry out large-scale deportations under the Trump administration, according to The Independent.
Concerns have also been raised about ICE itself. In a 2023 PBS investigation, it was discovered that hundreds of immigrants have reported sexual abuse in ICE detention facilities, with the majority of cases not being investigated. ICE has also been criticized by civil rights organizations for allegedly impersonating police during immigration raids, arguing that it incites fear and confusion among its citizens.
