A nationwide crackdown against illegal immigration is underway.
Some people are looking to take advantage of the situation.
And Tom Homan was blindsided when Florida police arrested a man for one weird reason.
Florida man pretends to be an ICE agent and threats to deport two men
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are hitting the streets to arrest illegal aliens as part of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation effort.
A Florida man tried to take advantage of the increased presence of ICE in communities.
Jose Juan Lopez, 23, pretended to be an ICE agent and pulled over two men in Indiantown, Florida.
Lopez threatened to have the two Hispanic men deported but they knew that something fishy was going on.
He told them he was an ICE agent after pulling them over and asked for their identification.
The men drove off and decided to call 911 instead.
“The victims, both Hispanic males, told deputies that Lopez, who lives in Indiantown, told them he was an ICE Agent and demanded their identification further threatening to deport them,” the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said. “The victims, suspicious of Lopez, drove off and called 911.”
Martin County Sheriff’s Deputies eventually tracked Lopez down when he surprised them with his story.
“Deputies were able to track Lopez, who claimed he was the actual victim and said the two men threatened him with deportation,” the Martin County Sheriff’s Office stated. “After further questioning, deputies arrested and charged Jose Juan Lopez with impersonating a federal law enforcement agent.”
Pretending to be an ICE agent lands Florida man in hot water
Deputies arrested Lopez on charges of impersonating a federal law enforcement officer.
The fake ICE agent had previously been arrested for child abuse, domestic battery, resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance, and violation of probation.
“He [the victim] picks up all the guys that work with him in his van. He actually had stopped to pick up another one of his coworkers when a silver truck kind of pulled in front of him, blocking him in and getting in his way,” Martin County Sheriff’s Office Major Rueben Romero told WPBF. “A gentleman jumped out, identifying themselves as an ICE agent, demanding identification, their migrant status, seeing if they were documented or undocumented.”
Lopez’s uniform gave it away that he was not authentic.
“Luckily for us, the victim knew that this was not your normal police officer,” Romero stated. “Normal police officers don’t jump out in pajama pants and backwards hats.”
Impersonating a federal law enforcement officer can result in up to three years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000.
Martin County resident Manuel Francisco was stunned by the arrest.
“This is a really small town,” Francisco told CBS 12. “I wouldn’t expect nothing like that.”
Retired Denver ICE office head John Fabbricatore told NewsNation that the agency works hard to protect its image.
“ICE works very hard on its image – an image that is constantly being torn apart by the open border and (the) Abolish ICE movement,” Fabbricatore explained. “Impersonators tarnish that image and create an even more resistive relationship with ICE.”
There are always going to be scammers looking to take advantage of a situation.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
