Journalists call on homeland security officials to reduce law-enforcement confrontations as tensions flare
After a year in which US journalists faced a dramatic increase in violence from law enforcement, news organizations and advocacy groups have recently tried to better protect reporters through outreach to the Department of Homeland Security.
Over the last four months, the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and a collection of New York news outlets have sent letters to the Department of Homeland Security attempting to open dialogue to reduce confrontations between law enforcement officers and journalists at protests, especially over efforts to deport alleged undocumented immigrants.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration recently announced that it hired thousands of new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and will escalate operations this year as part of its deportation efforts that DHS is coordinating.
That push – accentuated by the outrage over a Minnesota woman being killed by an ICE officer this week – will probably mean more protests and potentially more violence against journalists. It’s unclear if the messages to the DHS will help keep journalists safe.
