Police in Martin County, Florida, said Thursday that they had caught a man pretending to be an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) worker.
Police say that 23-year-old José Juan Lopez tried to stop two Hispanic guys and told them he would deport them.
There was, however, a lot of fear among the victims because Lopez did not look like a police officer.
“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,” as stated by the sheriff’s office. “The victims, suspicious of Lopez, drove off and called 911.”
Soon after, Lopez was found by officers and told them he was the victim.
“Deputies were able to track Lopez, who claimed he was the actual victim and said the two men threatened him with deportation,” the police said. “After further questioning, deputies arrested and charged Jose Juan Lopez with impersonating a federal law enforcement agent.”
The police also said Lopez had been arrested before for resisting arrest, having a controlled drug on them, breaking the terms of his probation, abusing children, hitting his partner, and battery.
It’s not clear if he was found guilty of any of those crimes.
“He picks up all of his workers in his van,” the witness said. “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. “He had stopped to pick up another coworker.” “A gentleman jumped out, identifying themselves as an ICE agent, demanding identification, their migrant status, seeing if they were documented or undocumented.”
“Luckily for us, the victim knew that this was not your normal police officer,” he said. “Normal police officers don’t jump out in pyjama pants and backwards hats.”
The Office of Law Revision Council says that pretending to be a federal officer can get you a $1,000 fine or three years in jail.
