5 ms·

I'm not from the US so I have to ask, Are ICE agents like police? In the sense that, can they detain someone they suspect of being a criminal, etc...?

clot27 10mo ago
They can detain whoever they suspect of being illegal immigrant
newfriend 10mo ago
[flagged]
mekdoonggi 10mo ago
They are armed like special police forces, acting on behalf of the administration, with no legal jurisdiction. They are like an occupying force. Our congress will not reign in the administration, and so we are being terrorized by our own government (that we also pay money to :))
- jaybrendansmith 10mo ago
  We should all stop paying taxes at once.
  - deleted 10mo ago
    [deleted]
- giardini 10mo ago
  They do have jurisdiction: they are legally police officers who can enforce all laws: federal laws directly, state & local laws by arresting and passing detainees to state and local authorities.
  - defrost 10mo ago
    False. They have limited police powers, particularly against actual citizens. ICE sees its mission as encompassing both public safety and national security. However, its powers are different than the average local police department in the US. Its agents have the power to stop, detain and arrest people they suspect of being in the US illegally. They can detain US citizens in limited circumstances, such as if a person interferes with an arrest, assaults an officer, or ICE suspect the person of being in the US illegally. Despite this, according to news organisation ProPublica, there were more than 170 incidents during the first nine months of Trump's presidency in which federal agents held US citizens against their will. See: https://www.propublica.org/article/immigration-dhs-american-citizens-arrested-detained-against-will https://www.propublica.org/article/immigration-dhs-american-... Again, consider becoming better informed.
    - giardini 10mo ago
      Sorry, dude, they'll arrest you whether you're a citizen or not if they see you commit a crime and they're interested. FWIW every police officer has "limited police powers" - the statement is vacuous. Federal police don't usually arrest for local law violations, local police don't usually arrest for federal law violations, etc. So "limited police powers"? Well yes, they won't write a parking ticket, but they'll shoot your ass. I'd be wary of telling people that ICE agents have "limited police powers." Using the left-leaning screed propublica as a reference is foolish.
hairofadog 10mo ago
The fourth amendment of the constitution says > The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. However, our Supreme Court is out of control, and Justice Kavanaugh recently issued a ruling allowing racial profiling, meaning people can be detained for looking a certain way. These sorts of racially motivated detentions are now known as "Kavanaugh Stops": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavanaugh_stop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavanaugh_stop So ICE agents don't have to suspect them of any crime; if they "look illegal", they can be detained and deported without due process.
- RajT88 10mo ago
  I think we soon get "Kavanaugh Kills" too.
  - HaZeust 10mo ago
    Well then, right back at them. Sic semper tyrannis.
mamonster 10mo ago
From this video they look more like the Sturmabteilung....
- blurbleblurble 10mo ago
  That's precisely their intended function as currently employed
- giardini 10mo ago
  Nonsense, the uniforms aren't nearly as snazzy, if there even ARE uniforms.
ineedaj0b 10mo ago
[flagged]
- deleted 10mo ago
  [deleted]
vunderba 10mo ago
They certainly have less training than police - where typical academy can last anywhere from 4-8 months. As I understand it, ICE agents only have 47 days of training. From the Atlantic: > New deportation officers at ICE used to receive about five months of federal-law-enforcement training. Administration officials have cut that time roughly in half, partly by eliminating Spanish-language courses. Academy training was shortened to 47 days, three officials told me, the number picked because Trump is the 47th president. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/08/ice-recruitment-immigration-enforcement-billions/684000/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/08/ice-rec... https://archive.is/Fu8wN https://archive.is/Fu8wN
JohnFen 10mo ago
I didn't see another comment that just answers the question plainly, so I'll give it a try... ICE agents are police officers and have all the powers that police officers have. They're under federal jurisdiction rather than state, county, or city. The only limitations are what does or does not fall under their jurisdiction. For instance, they don't have the power to enforce traffic laws (because those aren't federal), but they can certainly arrest you for breaking federal laws or detain you while investigating them.
- xiphias2 10mo ago
  The part (as a person of another country) that I don't understand is why people even here on HN is so much against people whose job is to arrest people who broke federal laws. As I see those laws are not really knew, they were just not enforced during the previous administration as strictly, but people who broke those laws did it consciously. Do people really care about the people who broke the laws or just hate the current administration so much?
  - RajT88 10mo ago
    I will try here. Illegal presence is a civil violation. Civil violations are not crimes (in the sense the law is divided into civil and criminal law): https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/criminal-defense/is-illegal-immigration-a-crime-improper-entry-v-unlawful-presence/ https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/criminal-defense/is-illeg... Sneaking across the border is a crime. Overstaying your visa (70-80% of "illegal immigration") is not a crime. It is more analogous to a parking ticket in terms of severity. The thing is - for a long time immigration was not enforced because the legals paths were blocked off to create a class of cheap labor to drive the American economy. It worked, and it source mostly jobs which citizens did not want to do. (Not entirely, and yes it did depress wages) It is a complicated issue.
    - the_doctah 10mo ago
      >Chief among these civil penalties is deportation or removal, where an unlawful resident may be detained and removed from the country.
mickle00 10mo ago
majority of the educated US see them more akin to Sturmabteilung
beAbU 10mo ago
More like the German SS or Russian KGB or Gestapo. Including the "papers please" cosplaying.
commiepatrol 10mo ago
They are federal police, they have authority, you must obey their orders.
- voganmother42 10mo ago
  When you obey their orders they still shoot you, so I don’t think that is it…
- defrost 10mo ago
  So they really are just like the organized death squads in Maduro’s Venezuela then? ~ https://snyder.substack.com/p/maduro-in-minneapolis https://snyder.substack.com/p/maduro-in-minneapolis

clot27 10mo ago

They can detain whoever they suspect of being illegal immigrant

newfriend 10mo ago

[flagged]

mekdoonggi 10mo ago

They are armed like special police forces, acting on behalf of the administration, with no legal jurisdiction. They are like an occupying force. Our congress will not reign in the administration, and so we are being terrorized by our own government (that we also pay money to :))

jaybrendansmith 10mo ago
We should all stop paying taxes at once.
- deleted 10mo ago
  [deleted]
giardini 10mo ago
They do have jurisdiction: they are legally police officers who can enforce all laws: federal laws directly, state & local laws by arresting and passing detainees to state and local authorities.
- defrost 10mo ago
  False. They have limited police powers, particularly against actual citizens. ICE sees its mission as encompassing both public safety and national security. However, its powers are different than the average local police department in the US. Its agents have the power to stop, detain and arrest people they suspect of being in the US illegally. They can detain US citizens in limited circumstances, such as if a person interferes with an arrest, assaults an officer, or ICE suspect the person of being in the US illegally. Despite this, according to news organisation ProPublica, there were more than 170 incidents during the first nine months of Trump's presidency in which federal agents held US citizens against their will. See: https://www.propublica.org/article/immigration-dhs-american-citizens-arrested-detained-against-will https://www.propublica.org/article/immigration-dhs-american-... Again, consider becoming better informed.
  - giardini 10mo ago
    Sorry, dude, they'll arrest you whether you're a citizen or not if they see you commit a crime and they're interested. FWIW every police officer has "limited police powers" - the statement is vacuous. Federal police don't usually arrest for local law violations, local police don't usually arrest for federal law violations, etc. So "limited police powers"? Well yes, they won't write a parking ticket, but they'll shoot your ass. I'd be wary of telling people that ICE agents have "limited police powers." Using the left-leaning screed propublica as a reference is foolish.

hairofadog 10mo ago

The fourth amendment of the constitution says > The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. However, our Supreme Court is out of control, and Justice Kavanaugh recently issued a ruling allowing racial profiling, meaning people can be detained for looking a certain way. These sorts of racially motivated detentions are now known as "Kavanaugh Stops": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavanaugh_stop https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kavanaugh_stop So ICE agents don't have to suspect them of any crime; if they "look illegal", they can be detained and deported without due process.

RajT88 10mo ago
I think we soon get "Kavanaugh Kills" too.
- HaZeust 10mo ago
  Well then, right back at them. Sic semper tyrannis.

mamonster 10mo ago

From this video they look more like the Sturmabteilung....

blurbleblurble 10mo ago
That's precisely their intended function as currently employed
giardini 10mo ago
Nonsense, the uniforms aren't nearly as snazzy, if there even ARE uniforms.

ineedaj0b 10mo ago

[flagged]

deleted 10mo ago
[deleted]

vunderba 10mo ago

They certainly have less training than police - where typical academy can last anywhere from 4-8 months. As I understand it, ICE agents only have 47 days of training. From the Atlantic: > New deportation officers at ICE used to receive about five months of federal-law-enforcement training. Administration officials have cut that time roughly in half, partly by eliminating Spanish-language courses. Academy training was shortened to 47 days, three officials told me, the number picked because Trump is the 47th president. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/08/ice-recruitment-immigration-enforcement-billions/684000/ https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/08/ice-rec... https://archive.is/Fu8wN https://archive.is/Fu8wN

JohnFen 10mo ago

I didn't see another comment that just answers the question plainly, so I'll give it a try... ICE agents are police officers and have all the powers that police officers have. They're under federal jurisdiction rather than state, county, or city. The only limitations are what does or does not fall under their jurisdiction. For instance, they don't have the power to enforce traffic laws (because those aren't federal), but they can certainly arrest you for breaking federal laws or detain you while investigating them.

xiphias2 10mo ago
The part (as a person of another country) that I don't understand is why people even here on HN is so much against people whose job is to arrest people who broke federal laws. As I see those laws are not really knew, they were just not enforced during the previous administration as strictly, but people who broke those laws did it consciously. Do people really care about the people who broke the laws or just hate the current administration so much?
- RajT88 10mo ago
  I will try here. Illegal presence is a civil violation. Civil violations are not crimes (in the sense the law is divided into civil and criminal law): https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/criminal-defense/is-illegal-immigration-a-crime-improper-entry-v-unlawful-presence/ https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/criminal-defense/is-illeg... Sneaking across the border is a crime. Overstaying your visa (70-80% of "illegal immigration") is not a crime. It is more analogous to a parking ticket in terms of severity. The thing is - for a long time immigration was not enforced because the legals paths were blocked off to create a class of cheap labor to drive the American economy. It worked, and it source mostly jobs which citizens did not want to do. (Not entirely, and yes it did depress wages) It is a complicated issue.
  - the_doctah 10mo ago
    >Chief among these civil penalties is deportation or removal, where an unlawful resident may be detained and removed from the country.

mickle00 10mo ago

majority of the educated US see them more akin to Sturmabteilung

beAbU 10mo ago

More like the German SS or Russian KGB or Gestapo. Including the "papers please" cosplaying.

commiepatrol 10mo ago

They are federal police, they have authority, you must obey their orders.

voganmother42 10mo ago
When you obey their orders they still shoot you, so I don’t think that is it…
defrost 10mo ago
So they really are just like the organized death squads in Maduro’s Venezuela then? ~ https://snyder.substack.com/p/maduro-in-minneapolis https://snyder.substack.com/p/maduro-in-minneapolis