“Who are these people?” The masked immigrant agent challenged local police, and the mother in Los Angeles was afraid.

Masked federal agents (sometimes using unmarked vehicles) have created problems with local law enforcement agencies for increasingly aggressive immigration raids.

Police are hardly aware of where federal law enforcement operations take place, but often have to deal with the consequences, including protests and residents’ issues about what exactly happened. In some cases, local police officers have been mistaken for federal agents, eroding years of work to make the immigrant communities trust police.

In Bell, when the masked men arrive to wash their car and start detaining their workers, chaos breaks out, confronting residents and immigration rights advocates, then they are forced to rush to drive over curbs and street islands to escape.

Last week, in Pasadena, a man broke away from his unmarked vehicle at the intersection, pointed his untouched pistol at a group of pedestrians before returning to his car, turned on the red and blue emergency lights and speeding down. The video of the incident spreads.

The incident resigned the Pasadena Police Chief to figure out whether it was a crime or part of a federal attack.

“We can’t verify it,” said police chief Gene Harris.

The department reviewed surveillance videos and other videos and saw the certificate in the man’s uniform.

“We were able to determine from our estimates that he was an Icefield agent. … We wouldn’t look at it more deeply than that,” he said.

Last week, immigration agents staged outside the parking lot at Dodger Stadium, sparking protests and issues that local officials must resolve.

“They don’t have uniforms. They’re completely showing up,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said at a press conference after the Dodger Stadium incident. “Who are these people?”

Federal agents enjoy great autonomy and “can do what they want in an official capacity,” said Ed Obayashi, an agent and power expert in Northern California.

“If they point at a gun or take someone, local police will not be able to intervene and intervene regardless of the circumstances,” Obayasi said.

He said federal agencies have extensive mandatory policies in drawing weapons, but ultimately, if the overall directive is to take this action, the norm doesn’t matter.

“If homeland security is what we want, policy guidelines on guns and force are irrelevant,” he added. “The civil court has little remedy for federal law enforcement compared to local police.”

Federal agents are not bound by the same statues as local police, which claimed in 1983 that people were allowed to prosecute certain government agencies and employees for infringing on their civil rights.

“The U.S. Supreme Court repeatedly blocked federal agents from law,” Obasi said.

The masked immigration agents landed in the area, and the incident at the Dodger Stadium in Bell and Pasadena unfolded for more than two weeks and a wave of immigration in a predominantly Latino community. Residents are on the edge when masked men appear and detain their friends, relatives and neighbors without clear signs, who are part of federal immigration enforcement and refuse to show identification or warrants.

The Pasadena incident shows how social media expands the incident and highlights the responses of local officials.

In a video sent to Instagram from Pasadena, a suspicious federal agent was seen exiting the Dodge charger at the intersection and pointing his gun at the public.

In the video, a person walks to the back of the Dodge charger, appearing to take a picture of the license plate. At that time, the driver drove out of the car, pointed the gun at the person behind the vehicle, and then headed towards another person outside the video frame. The word “police” can be seen on the driver’s vest, as well as the badge on his hips. Seconds later, the man lowered the gun and returned to the car as the bystander shouted at him. The man then activates the red and blue lights of the vehicles commonly found in law enforcement vehicles and drives away.

Citizens shared the license plate of the vehicle on social media, which led to more questions than answers.

According to Pasadena officials, the vehicle’s license plate is a “cold plate” or is untrackable, usually used by law enforcement in secret criminal operations.

“One problem is that this is a law enforcement officer or someone pretending to be a law enforcement officer, and there is no good answer here,” Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo told the Times.[To] Have law enforcement officers draw weapons and point them to people using iPhones, while the crowds show a lack of temperance to train and use force. ”

He still hopes that the federal government will acknowledge the incident and provide some clarity. With more immigration sweeps, Godo fears an accidental shooting could occur, or if unidentified federal agents pull the gun out in public, police may end up in the middle.

Godot said the previous administration informed the city of law enforcement actions to avoid unexpected confrontations between law enforcement.

“Our police officers need to be aware of undercover or unmarked law enforcement actions. These actions are endangering everyone near us,” he said.

Harris said that if citizens do have problems with someone pretending to be law enforcement, they should call 911.

But local police will not interfere with federal activities, he said.

A man was arrested Friday when people clashed with Border Patrol personnel in Bell.

(Carlin Stiehl/Los Angeles Times)

“I understand the lingering fear in the community,” Harris said. “I will tell [citizens] To delay your feelings, please understand what is happening around you. ”

He added that federal immigration activities in Pasadena did not hinder local police efforts or response time. Officials said there were no arrests, property damage or violence in connection with protests in Pasadena.

It’s about an hour’s drive inland in Fontana, and the lack of clarity is making local policemen who mistakenly think of as federal immigration agents work harder.

Officials investigating the latest burglary were mistaken for federal immigration agents through social media Fontana Police Sgt. Nathan Weiske said.

In another case, protesters met secret officials who believed they were surveillance for immigration sweeps.

“This is unsafe for our officers or others involved in any active police action, and if statements or misunderstandings can lead to inappropriate engagement,” Fontana Police Chief Michael Dorsey said in a Facebook post.

In some parts of the South, the response to immigration attacks can be rapid and fierce.

In Bell, the tired masked man detained at least three people on a car wash, causing massive protests.

Dozens of people flocked to the agents and shouted to the agents: “Are you a bounty hunter? What is the illegal bounty now?” Questioning their identities.

The video shows the men dressed in fatigue and Balaclav and carried long weapons, fire tear gas dispersed the crowd so that they could leave. The Department of Homeland Security said the border patrol vehicle was damaged during the incident.

Huntington Park Mayor Arturo Flores called the federal government’s presence in the area “political theater” and aims to confront the Latino population.

Flores plans to file a motion with the city council, which will direct local police to ask federal agents to determine whether they are trying to conduct immigration operations in the city.

“What happens if you have bad actors who decide to wear olive-toned clothes and kidnap people around?” Flores told The Times. “I will not ask our officials to interfere with federal affairs. However, we must be prepared to hold these agencies accountable for their actions. There is a tragedy waiting to happen.”