Police improved community relations after George Floyd. Is ICE a setback?

Courts may eventually resolve some of the power imbalance, but in the meantime, local police have a tightrope to walk.

“I get with local law enforcement that their hands are somewhat tied, and they don’t want to be caught up in this, but at the same time, they don’t want to close the door to at least having effective communication with the federal agents and ICE and CBP agents that are working in their jurisdiction,” said Jill Snider, a retired New York Police Department officer and a resident senior fellow at the R Street Institute…”I have a lot of empathy for local law enforcement right now.”

Federal, local officers acting like adversaries

As tensions remain high in Minneapolis, Snider said she’s worried about other ICE operations, including Portland, Oregon, where more than 1,100 immigration arrests have been made since January 2025, and two protesters were shot by federal officers in 2026.

Her concerns also extend to the state of Maine, where federal officials said they made more than 100 arrests in the first three days of what they call “Operation Catch of the Day.”

In both states, local law enforcement is not cooperating with federal officers. In Maine, a new law limiting police involvement in immigration enforcement took effect months earlier than anticipated after Gov. Janet Mills allowed the measure to become law in December…

Snider worries that if the agencies are operating in silos or at cross purposes, it could cause more harm than good, especially for local police.

“This could lead to fewer people willing to call 911 if they are the victim of a crime, they’re maybe less likely to cooperate if they are a witness to a crime, and police really rely on that type of information from the general public when they are trying to solve crimes,” Snider said.  “Now, it seems more and more people are becoming skeptical of any actions that law enforcement is taking.”