Joyce Vance, former U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama and current MSNBC legal analyst, faced backlash after suggesting on air that masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents could be mistaken for kidnappers by civilians—potentially triggering lawful self-defense.
She made the remarks during a recent appearance on MSNBC’s “Velshi,” where she discussed undercover law enforcement tactics.
Vance, who also teaches law at the University of Alabama, frequently provides legal analysis for the network.
During the segment, host Ali Velshi asked about legal constraints governing law enforcement anonymity, prompting Vance to highlight differences in how agencies operate undercover.
“There are very serious legal restrictions around the use of, for instance, FBI agents as undercover operatives,” she said, according to Breitbart News. “Very strict rules regarding how it’s done, what they can do, what they can’t do.”
Vance went on to criticize the use of masks by federal agents during public-facing operations.
“But you know what I’ve never seen a federal agent working a case do is pull a mask up so nobody knows who they are and go out and terrorize a civilian population,” she said.
“And I think it’s important for us at this point to be very plain-speaking when we say that this is not normal, it’s not acceptable, and it’s a danger sign.”
Later in the discussion, Vance noted that some civilians may react defensively when encountering unidentified federal agents in public settings.
“As we see people being pulled off the streets—you know, the danger to law enforcement, quite frankly, is that when you’re masked like that and people don’t know who you are, someone might exercise their lawful right of self-defense to protect themselves, thinking they’re being kidnapped,” she said.
The comments have drawn strong reactions online, with some observers interpreting the remarks as a warning that ICE tactics could lead to confrontations with civilians who are unaware that the agents are acting in an official capacity.
ICE agents occasionally wear masks during operations to protect their identities.
The practice is often employed to reduce the risk of retaliation against agents or their families, particularly in high-risk areas or during sensitive enforcement actions, as highlighted by the Gateway Pundit.
When addressing this rationale, Vance was critical of the idea that masks are necessary.
According to her, the explanation that agents wear them for personal safety was “utterly ludicrous.”
She called for an end to the practice, arguing that it undermines public trust.
The issue of law enforcement masking has previously come under scrutiny during periods of public unrest and demonstrations.
In recent years, video footage of unidentified agents taking individuals into custody during protests sparked national debate over transparency and accountability.
Critics of Vance’s remarks have contrasted them with prior concerns voiced in the media over nonviolent conservative protests, such as those organized by the Tea Party movement.
Some have pointed out that warnings about potential violence from those groups were widely circulated, even though major incidents never occurred.
The current discussion, they argue, reflects a shifting narrative around which groups are viewed as threats and how government actions are portrayed, according to GP.
Vance has not publicly responded to the backlash surrounding her comments.
WATCH:
The post Obama-Era AG, MSNBC Legal Analyst Suggests Violence Against Masked ICE Officers Could Be Legally Justified appeared first on Resist the Mainstream.
Click this link for the original source of this article.
Author: Gloriel Howard
This content is courtesy of, and owned and copyrighted by, https://resistthemainstream.org and its author. This content is made available by use of the public RSS feed offered by the host site and is used for educational purposes only. If you are the author or represent the host site and would like this content removed now and in the future, please contact USSANews.com using the email address in the Contact page found in the website menu.
