Trump's DHS appointees have dismantled civil rights protections, allowing agents to remain anonymous and wear masks, while also threatening groups that oppose them and overwhelming legal challenges to their tactics.
A recent incident in Santa Ana, California, highlights the fear and uncertainty caused by these actions. When Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers stormed the city, panicked calls flooded the emergency response system, with residents expressing terror as they watched masked men ambush people and force them into unmarked cars.
Recordings of those calls, obtained by ProPublica, captured the terror residents felt as they watched masked men ambush people and force them into unmarked cars.
In some cases, the men wore plain clothes and refused to identify themselves, leaving no way to confirm whether they were immigration agents or imposters.
Author's summary: Trump builds a violent federal police force.