Chicago – March 30, 2025
In Santa Fe County, New Mexico, local police recently held a meeting to help residents understand that they are not immigration officers. Police leaders showed pictures of their uniforms so people would know what they look like and not confuse them with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
Similar meetings are happening across the country. Police departments are speaking with communities, making videos, and adding information to their websites. Their message is clear: They want people to feel safe calling the police, no matter their immigration status.
Many immigrants are afraid to report crimes or ask for help because they worry about being arrested or deported. Police say this fear has grown as the Trump administration increases immigration enforcement. Officers say this makes their job harder because people who need help are too scared to reach out.
At the Santa Fe meeting, Police Chief Joye wore regular clothes instead of his uniform so people wouldn’t feel nervous. He explained that while his department sometimes works with immigration authorities, their main goal is to keep the community safe.
Across the U.S., there are about 18,000 police departments, and each has its own rules about working with ICE. Many officers believe ICE should arrest people who commit serious crimes, but they don’t want law-abiding immigrants to be afraid of them.
However, the Trump administration is not just targeting criminals. It has also arrested students protesting the war in Gaza and even people with tattoos of their favorite soccer teams, according to lawyers. Because police policies vary so much from place to place, this has created even more fear in immigrant communities.
