# We could all wear ICE gear **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 27, 2026, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077 "2026-01-27T08:49:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![irae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f0a364/32.png) [@irae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irae)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/61 "2026-01-30T15:02:29Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > We’ve absolutely not crossed a line where a citizen is going to see someone in ICE gear and question if they’re actually ICE. What a relief!! > **[FBI warns of people impersonating ICE agents to commit violent crimes](https://abc7.com/post/fbi-warns-people-impersonating-ice-agents-to-commit-violent-crimes/18123387/)** > > The FBI is warning about people impersonating ICE agents to commit violent crimes. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/62 "2026-01-30T15:22:14Z")
> [@irae](#): > > What a relief!! I get that you think you’ve done something here, but the general public still assumes that anyone who wears ICE gear is ICE, and behaves accordingly. My point is that is if this happens enough, the general public will start to be more skeptical. But that hasn’t happened yet. The status quo is still that people overwhelmingly assume someone in an ICE vest is ICE. If you think one FBI press release has changed that, then you should have a seat because you’re too fucking obtuse to participate as an adult in this conversation. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/63 "2026-01-30T15:30:43Z")
> [@Happytree](#): > > Just a blanket reply here, because everyone’s pointed out the flaws in my idea. I’m thinking they would be forced to identify themselves if everyone dressed like them. > > I don’t see how I could be accused of impersonating an officer if I don’t have a badge. No laws against wearing fake tough guy costumes that I know of. In principle you’re exactly correct, and the main flaw in the idea is that it would take a _lot_ of impersonation to move the needle, not to mention the danger to all parties concerned. I was thinking that at some point it’s inevitable someone will dress up in ICE gear, and go to a bank asking to see people’s immigration papers. They’d ask to “inspect the bank vault” and carry out bags of cash as “evidence of trafficking.” One or two cases wouldn’t do it, but if it became routine, then policy would have to change as a purely practical matter for ICE to continue operating. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/64 "2026-01-30T15:43:43Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > was thinking that at some point it’s inevitable someone will dress up in ICE gear, and go to a bank asking to see people’s immigration papers. They’d ask to “inspect the bank vault” and carry out bags of cash as “evidence of trafficking.” And the bank staff will do what, stand around with their thumb up their ass watching? No bank is going to open their vault for ICE agents just because they asked, whether or not they can properly identify themselves as ICE agents. ---
**Author:** ![irae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f0a364/32.png) [@irae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irae)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/65 "2026-01-30T16:25:19Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > My point is that is if this happens enough, the general public will start to be more skeptical. But that hasn’t happened yet. But you’ll let us know when? This American kinda feels like a single instance of someone impersonating alleged federal agents who do not wear any uniformly identifying anything is cause to doubt them all. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/66 "2026-01-30T18:58:38Z")
> [@irae](#): > > But you’ll let us know when? This American kinda feels like a single instance of someone impersonating alleged federal agents who do not wear any uniformly identifying anything is cause to doubt them all. As opposed to one single press release from the FBI that doesn’t even address public opinion? Thank you for demonstrating that you’re too dumb to contribute, as I inferred earlier. > [@Babale](#): > > And the bank staff will do what, stand around with their thumb up their ass watching? No bank is going to open their vault for ICE agents just because they asked, whether or not they can properly identify themselves as ICE agents. Learn to generalize from a rhetorical example. It doesn’t _literally_ have to be a bank heist. Certainly your mind can conceive of a scenario where a civilian impersonates a law enforcment for just long enough to pull off a burglary or robbery or some other crime under color of authority. I can’t use your brain for you, you’re going to have to do that yourself. ---
**Author:** ![irae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f0a364/32.png) [@irae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irae)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/67 "2026-01-30T19:18:41Z")
One of us is dumb, for sure. Is that a knock at your door? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/68 "2026-01-30T19:27:39Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Certainly your mind can conceive of a scenario where a civilian impersonates a law enforcment for just long enough to pull off a burglary or robbery or some other crime under color of authority. I can conceive of lots of such scenarios, especially since they already happen with people pretending to be police officers and such. But your claim was that some criminals will walk up to a bank, claim to be ICE agents, and then be let in to the vault to “inspect it” and then be allowed to leave with bags of cash “as evidence of trafficking”. All without anyone asking for a warrant or to speak to their supervisor. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > I was thinking that at some point it’s inevitable someone will dress up in ICE gear, and go to a bank asking to see people’s immigration papers. They’d ask to “inspect the bank vault” and carry out bags of cash as “evidence of trafficking.” One or two cases wouldn’t do it, but if it became routine, then policy would have to change as a purely practical matter for ICE to continue operating. Anyone who thinks that this scenario is “inevitable” is… How did you put it? Oh, yeah - “too dumb to contribute”. ---
**Author:** ![Happytree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happytree/32/3555_2.png) [@Happytree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happytree)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/69 "2026-01-30T20:16:06Z")
I doubt the bank heist scenario would happen, but who stop them? The real police? They’re already allowing masked, unidentified thugs to tear gas children’s schools and murder white ladies. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/70 "2026-01-30T20:39:20Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I can conceive of lots of such scenarios, especially since they already happen with people pretending to be police officers and such Then you are in theory capable of grasping the point, but you insist on taking hypothetical as literal. Good to know what your specific brain damage is, thanks. > [@Babale](#): > > But your claim was that some criminals will walk up to a bank, claim to be ICE agents, and then be let in to the vault to “inspect it” and then be allowed to leave with bags of cash “as evidence of trafficking”. All without anyone asking for a warrant or to speak to their supervisor. As if people are challenging ICE for warrants and successfully getting them. As if ICE is at any point stopped by a warrant challenge these days. Are you really this stupid? ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/71 "2026-01-30T20:54:34Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > As if people are challenging ICE for warrants and successfully getting them. As if ICE is at any point stopped by a warrant challenge these days. Are you really this stupid? What the fuck are you talking about? Some randos who claim to be ICE walk into a bank and say “we want to see your vault”. You think the bank is just gonna say “oh God we are so scared of you please don’t hurt us here’s the keys to the vault”? Or how exactly do you forsee that going down? I just watched a video of an ICE thug trying to get into an Ecuadorian consulate. According to your sad attempts at “logic”, nothing should have been able to stop him from entering and deporting all the consulate workers back to Ecuador, right? Well, what _actually_ happened is that a guy went up to the door and told him “you can’t come in here!” at which point the ICE agent threw a little tantrum about how he “wasn’t coming in” with all the same energy of a toddler playing “I’m not touching you” before leaving. God, but that’s _impossible_! I thought ICE couldn’t be stopped by the law, they could do whatever they wanted and all hope was lost! ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/72 "2026-01-30T21:09:38Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > a guy went up to the door and told him “you can’t come in here!” at which point the ICE agent threw a little tantrum about how he “wasn’t coming in” with all the same energy of a toddler playing “I’m not touching you” before leaving. > > God, but that’s _impossible_! I thought ICE couldn’t be stopped by the law, they could do whatever they wanted and all hope was lost! The ‘guy at the door’ in a bank is likely a rent-a-cop, much less likely to confront a group of armed men presenting as Federal agents. And yeah, if I’m pulling this bank job it’s not going to be me alone - much more likely to succeed if there are +/- 5 of us, and more realistic since the ICE thugs are never solo as far as I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/73 "2026-01-30T21:18:20Z")
> [@Folacin](#): > > The ‘guy at the door’ in a bank is likely a rent-a-cop, much less likely to confront a group of armed men presenting as Federal agents …what? The guy at the consulate was a random office worker in slacks and a button up shirt armed with a lanyard. Your assessment of likelihood is all out of whack. > [@Folacin](#): > > And yeah, if I’m pulling this bank job it’s not going to be me alone - much more likely to succeed if there are +/- 5 of us, and more realistic since the ICE thugs are never solo as far as I’ve seen So you also think it’s remotely realistic? I’ll ask you as well. Five guys come into a bank and tell at the manager “we are ICE and we need to inspect your vault”. What do you think happens next? ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/74 "2026-01-30T21:28:12Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > God, but that’s _impossible_! I thought ICE couldn’t be stopped by the law, they could do whatever they wanted and all hope was lost! - [Fake ICE officer zip ties woman and robs Philadelphia business](https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/local/fake-law-enforcement-officer-robbery-philadelphia-business-police/4205126/) - [A man was robbed by a fake ICE agent conducting an illegal roadblock](https://abc13.com/post/suspect-arrested-allegedly-posing-ice-agent-during-robbery-skyline-drive-west-houston-police-say/16845926/) - [3 armed men posing as ICE tied up a restaurant employee and looted the ATM](https://www.newsweek.com/fbi-warns-criminals-posing-ice-robberies-kidnappings-11008376) - [Fake ICE agents robbed 2 people in New Jersey](https://www.nj.com/essex/2026/01/man-pretended-to-be-an-ice-agent-robbed-2-people-in-nj-cops-say.html) These weren’t hard to find at all. Barely took 5 minutes. None of this is hard to understand if you possess 2 working brain cells. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/75 "2026-01-30T21:31:35Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > These weren’t hard to find at all I agree, like I said earlier, I’m sure you can find _lots_ of examples that are nothing like ICE agents strolling into a bank and walking out with bags of cash they declare are evidence. > [@Babale](#): > > I can conceive of lots of such scenarios, especially since they already happen with people pretending to be police officers and such. But your claim was that some criminals will walk up to a bank, claim to be ICE agents, and then be let in to the vault to “inspect it” and then be allowed to leave with bags of cash “as evidence of trafficking”. All without anyone asking for a warrant or to speak to their supervisor. ---
**Author:** ![irae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f0a364/32.png) [@irae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irae)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/76 "2026-01-30T21:33:49Z")
So how many more times must that kind of thing happen before you begin to suspect that not everybody in mismatched tacticool gear is, actually, ICE? 50? 1000? ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/77 "2026-01-30T21:37:43Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > I agree, like I said earlier, I’m sure you can find _lots_ of examples that are nothing like ICE agents strolling into a bank and walking out with bags of cash they declare are evidence. Then process what I already said several posts ago, unless you just really enjoy fighting the hypothetical that much. > [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Learn to generalize from a rhetorical example. It doesn’t _literally_ have to be a bank heist. Already said it doesn’t _literall_y need to be a bank heist, but have fun punching the wall or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2026, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/78 "2026-01-30T21:48:05Z")
> [@irae](#): > > So how many more times must that kind of thing happen before you begin to suspect that not everybody in mismatched tacticool gear is, actually, ICE? 50? 1000? The point is that there’s a limit, and when it’s reached, ICE won’t be able to operate anymore, not because people are too courageous, but simply because they’re too uncertain and confused about who is ICE and who isn’t. Some people have reached that point, there are also cases of people chasing away ICE imposters, but it’s not to the point where ICE changes their policy to show ID, name, badge, and a warrant. They’re not doing that because there’s still widespread compliance. You will fail to grasp this point again, because your aim here is not to understand, but that’s not really my problem. ---
**Author:** ![irae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f0a364/32.png) [@irae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irae)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/79 "2026-02-13T21:34:54Z")
You guess I’ll miss the point I made? Ok. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2026, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077/80 "2026-02-14T22:20:18Z")
How do we know that they where not real ICE agents, just doing a side hustle? They murder people after all and get away with it. They already have the gear to threaton and kill people. A little robbery is not a far reach. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-could-all-wear-ice-gear/1027077.md?page=3)