There’s protecting a nation — and then there’s scaring the hell out of people for sport.
Reports out of Los Angeles say immigration agents were spotted this week wearing Halloween masks — yes, actual Chucky and Momo masks — while conducting raids. Photos show what appear to be federal agents sitting in unmarked cars, faces hidden behind horror props. When pressed for comment, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson offered a two-word response: “Happy Halloween.”
That might play as clever in a frat house. It doesn’t work when you carry a badge.
Law enforcement is built on authority, clarity, and—most importantly—trust. When an officer hides behind a mask, literally or figuratively, that trust fractures. Communities already anxious about immigration enforcement are now left wondering whether the people showing up at their doors are even real agents. That’s not safety. That’s chaos dressed as gallows humor.
I spent decades in media watching agencies struggle to manage perception. The first rule of public trust is simple: never make your work look like a stunt. DHS officials know better—or should. Every time one of these tone-deaf episodes surfaces, it fuels the narrative that power has drifted from professionalism to performative toughness.
There’s also a deeper question here. If the goal of enforcement is compliance, what message does a horror mask send? That arrests are sport? That fear is the point? Even if this was one or two officers getting carried away, it reveals something about the culture inside the operation—a culture that can forget the human side of the badge.
The spokeswoman’s “Happy Halloween” quip only poured gasoline on the fire. There’s a time for humor, and then there’s a time for leadership. This was the latter. A serious agency would have condemned the choice immediately, promised an internal review, and reminded everyone what professionalism looks like. Instead, DHS shrugged.
A government that enforces laws without respecting the people those laws affect doesn’t build safety—it builds resentment.
Accountability isn’t optional. It’s the job.