EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) 鈥 As California lawmakers push a bill banning law enforcement officers from covering their faces while conducting arrests, Senate Republicans worry about growing threats already facing those who don鈥檛 cover up.
Doxing has already struck a nerve among federal agents in El Paso supporting immigration operations.
鈥淚 have experienced that with one of my employees, who was photographed during an operation. It was put out on Instagram, and the individual who had posted that had indicated that 鈥榯he community needs to remind him where he came from,鈥欌 said Jason T. Stevens, HSI special agent in charge in El Paso.
What is clearly free speech for some can translate into a threat to others.
鈥淢y employee felt such a threat that he completely changed his appearance to be able to protect his family when he鈥檚 off-duty and out in the community with them,鈥 Stevens said at a recent Senate committee hearing in Washington, D.C.
FBI Deputy Assistant Director Jose Perez said doxing 鈥 the act of publishing someone鈥檚 private information online without consent 鈥 can not only hurt the target but also their loved ones.
鈥淭he doxing poses tremendous vulnerability,鈥 said Perez, who heads the Criminal Investigative Division. 鈥淥ne example [鈥 In this incident, the agent was being threatened also with pictures of his children to back down on the operations that are ongoing. It is a significant threat that we are concerned with.鈥
The subject came up as GOP members on the Senate Judiciary Committee urged support for the Protecting Law Enforcement from Doxing Act, while Democrats demanded accountability from federal agencies told by President Trump to support immigration enforcement.
鈥淩esources have been diverted from your agencies to engage in immigration enforcement,鈥 said Sen. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, asking FBI, HSI and Drug Enforcement Administration officials what percentage of their staff has been reassigned to apprehend unauthorized immigrants.
She quoted figures as high as 45 percent and 80 percent of the staff of some agencies. Officials at the hearing were reluctant to respond without being allowed to provide context.
U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said he is concerned that any added immigration duties will make a dent in fentanyl interdiction or delay the arrest of dangerous drug cartel members.
鈥淚 am concerned to the degree your resources are directed for immigration operations against nonviolent immigrants 鈥 against farm workers, garment workers, or restaurant workers,鈥 Schiff said.
In Schiff鈥檚 home turf, Democrats have filed the No Secret Police Act in the California State Senate.
The bill would prohibit law enforcement at all levels from covering their faces and compel them to wear a uniform, their name or another identifier while on duty. The bill is a direct response to what Democrats and immigration activists see as an increased masking of agents sent out to detain immigrants in their communities.
鈥淭he recent federal operations in California have created an environment of profound terror. We want the public to trust law enforcement. We cannot allow them to behave like a secret police in an authoritarian state,鈥 said State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, the bill鈥檚 co-sponsor.