A new study recently published in the journal Political Research Quarterly revealed that many Latinos are working as agents in law enforcement agencies such as the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol.

Border Patrol Agents
Reuters Connect

The role of law enforcement has been the target of different criticisms across the country because of the excessive use of force. Police brutality that led to the death of numerous African-Americans has sparked violent protests.

According to the said study, Latinos make up 30 percent of ICE agents and nearly 50 percent of Border Patrol agents.

Dr. David Cortez, a professor of Political Science and Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame, found an interesting pattern between the role of law enforcement and the immigrants.

The increasing number of Latinos in law enforcement has raised interesting questions from the new La Migra. They are questioning the motivations of Latinos to work in law enforcement despite the unending tension of these agencies toward the migrants.

Cortez told the KTSM 9 News "as of 2015, Latinos make up 78 percent of the ICE workforce in El Paso."

"So we might say this is pretty representative of the broader community that ICE is charged with policing," he added.

Challenges of Latinos Working in Law Enforcement

In El Paso, Texas, more than 80 percent of their population is coming from Latino or Hispanic community. Many if not all have family members, who are immigrants.

The fact that many Latinos are working in the ICE in El Paso, this challenges the root and identity of the agents.

Cortez noted that historically Latinos have an undesirable relationship with law enforcement agents, most especially in the border cities.

Cortez recounted that Border Patrol Chief Silvestre Reyes, who was the first Hispanic or Latino section chief in the region, saw himself as protecting the community's Latinx populations by moving Border Patrol out of the community and along the border, rather than sweeping communities.

However, this changed because of the 9/11 attack, the new immigration policy, and the more stringent patrol in the border walls.

Additionally, the law enforcement agencies were given authority to a militarized degree.

In the study conducted by Cortez, he found out that many Latino agents in the ICE and Border Patrol have different views on how the agencies should work.

However, despite the tension between law enforcement and Latino immigrants, many of them still joined ICE or become part of the Border Patrol agents because of their socio-economic status.

During the interview of Cortez with the Latino agents, he found out that they joined because of economic self-interest, the pride of having a good job, and the security of benefits aside from socioeconomic status.

This means that Latinos in law enforcement agencies are enjoying their own version of the American dream.

Moreover, Latinos play a very important role, most especially in this time of the global pandemic.

Aside from working as part of the law enforcement agencies, there are thousands of Latinos, who are working in the American field just to sustain the food chain in the country.

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