Teen Pulled Over at Gunpoint by Off-Duty ICE Agent Sparks Safety Concerns As Case Underscores Need for Clear Identification
Immigration raids and arrests have been in the headlines for most of 2025. Immigrant communities have been targeted in major cities across the country with unrelenting raids. Additionally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have faced some consequences for their behavior. Recently, a self-described ICE agent was arrested for pulling a gun on a Southern California teenager.
A self-described ICE agent in Southern California is in police custody
Recently, Gerardo Rodriguez, a 45-year-old man in Riverside County, California, pulled a teenager over at gunpoint. According to reports, Rodriguez identified himself as an ICE agent when he pulled the teenager out of the car at gunpoint. Rodriguez allegedly demanded documentation from the teenager to prove his citizenship.
Despite Rodriguez’s claims, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) denied that he was an ICE agent in a statement to KTLA. As immigration raids increase in frequency, the idea of people impersonating immigration officers to terrorize people is a saddening reality.
Immigration raids and mass deportations are a key focus of the Trump administration. According to TRAC Immigration, there were 59,762 people in detention as of Sept. 21, 2025. Additionally, 42,755 of those in ICE detention don’t have a criminal record. The numbers show an immigration enforcement that is far from the promises President Donald Trump made while on the campaign trail.
Officials in the Trump administration have maintained that they are targeting criminals for deportation. However, United States citizens, green card holders, and undocumented people with no criminal record are being traumatized by immigration agents and those impersonating ICE agents.
People have been posing as ICE agents to terrorize people
An NYPD sergeant was arrested this month after it was discovered that he had harassed a woman who rejected him. Sgt. Atickul Islam allegedly met the woman online and harassed her in March using the alias James W. Anderson.
According to court records, Sgt. Islam impersonated an ICE agent and claimed that he was going to send immigration to his victim’s house. He also said that her family needed to report to an immigration detention center in New York City.
There has been a growing concern among activists and politicians about the dangers of people impersonating federal immigration agents. The Trump administration and the Supreme Court have worked to safeguard the identities of federal immigration agents at a cost to public safety.
In August, a coalition of members from the Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) called for changes to how agents identify themselves. There are endless videos of immigration agents wearing masks while conducting raids and refusing to identify themselves. The federal government has rebuffed calls to order agents to properly and clearly identify themselves.
The FBI has warned citizens about fake immigration authorities
The FBI warned people in the U.S. about the increase in people impersonating immigration agents to commit crime. In its warning, the law enforcement agency called on ICE agents to start properly identifying themselves when conducting arrests. Immigration officers identifying themselves does more than identify the agent.
The FBI cited multiple instances where people impersonated ICE and attempted to rob, kidnap, or rape victims.
By identifying themselves, ICE agents can protect people from non-legitimate operations. Continuing to hide behind masks and refusing to identify is creating a dangerous climate that allows people to act out their worst instincts while hiding behind a fake persona. Federal law enforcement has a duty to safeguard public safety, but is failing to act.
“This alert from the FBI is a loud and unmistakable signal that our work is not just timely, it’s critical for public safety,” California State Senator Jesse Arreguín (D-Oakland) said in a statement. “When armed operatives walk into our communities, obscuring their face, and without a badge or a name, the public’s trust is broken, and the risk to everyone increases.”
