In a longish report, “Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting,” ProPublica gives the names and significant biographical information on the two agents whose identities had been withheld, going so far as to interview one’s ex-wife.
My antenna went up immediately, as this rather clearly puts their safety and that of their family in danger. We’re in the midst of an emotional standoff over how DHS and its various immigration and border enforcement agencies are carrying out the Trump administration’s massive deportation effort. It is not only plausible but likely that there are people out there angry enough to go after these officers or their families.
ProPublica addresses that in an italicized statement at the end of the report:
ProPublica is publishing the names of the two federal immigration agents involved in the fatal shooting of Minnesota protester Alex Pretti. We believe there are few investigations that deserve more sunlight and public scrutiny than this one, in which two masked agents fired 10 shots at Pretti as he lay on the ground after being pepper-sprayed.
The Department of Justice said it is investigating the incident, but the names of the two agents have been withheld from Congress and from state and local law enforcement.
The policy of shielding officers’ identities, particularly after a public shooting, is a stark departure from standard law enforcement protocols, according to lawmakers, state attorneys general and former federal officials. Such secrecy, in our view, deprives the public of the most fundamental tool for accountability.
So, on the one hand, I fully agree that, under normal circumstances, law enforcement officers should be unmasked and be easily identifiable to the public they serve. In the particular case of ICE and associated agencies that have been operating in Minneapolis and other major cities, I believe the masking serves to add to the intimidation factor and has the effect of emboldening bullying tactics.
At the same time, it would seem undeniable that these raids are politically charged. And the notion that the barrier to “accountability” for this shooting is the public’s knowledge of the officers’ names is just silly. The entire incident was captured on camera from multiple angles and, as evidenced by this report, their identities are known to those charged with investigating the reasonableness of the shooting.
To the extent the shooting was unjustified—which is my going-in position given what I know now—the barrier to justice is that the entire chain of command seems perfectly fine with that. So, unless ProPublica is suggesting that the public take matters into their own hands, it’s not at all clear how releasing their names serves the cause of “accountability.”
Aside from the ethical quandary here, a couple of other things stand out to me. First, judging by their names, both men appear to be Hispanic and/or Latino. And neither are rookies. They’re 43 and 35 years of age. The former joined the Border Patrol in 2018, and the latter works for the special response team of the CBP’s Office of Field Operations, which he joined in 2014. The former has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice; no educational information is given for the latter.
That’s all noteworthy, in that a picture has emerged in the wake of the Renee Good shooting and other tragedies that most of the agents are recent hires who have received minimal training and screening. Indeed, NYT immigration reporter Caitlin Dickerson suggests that a significant number of them are white nationalists who have been specifically targeted in recruiting ads to come and apply brutality to brown people. And The Atlantic‘s Ali Breland suggests ICE is emulating the tactics used by the Proud Boys and other citizen militia groups.
And that may well be true. But it would not appear to explain this particular shooting. It’s possible for Hispanic people to be white nationalists (“Enrique” Tarrio was chairman of the Proud Boys, after all), it’s not the way I’d bet here. And, while ICE and Border Patrol are not exactly at the top of the law enforcement prestige food chain, these particular officers have been around a long time. And, again, at least one has an undergraduate criminal justice degree and the other is SWAT-trained.
Of course, that works both ways. A scared rookie with little training can be more easily forgiven for panicking in a fast-developing situation. Seasoned, highly-trained agents should be expected to have greater situational awareness, be calmer under pressure, and to be able to de-escalate a situation.
