A prosecutor with U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Dallas is an overt racist and white supremacist, reports The Texas Observer, which attributes to him various statements it found online. They run from talk about organizing mass deportations and boasts about his expensive suits to white supremacist rants in which he declares "America is a White nation, founded by Whites. … Our country should favor us," boasts that "I'm a fascist," and denounces the 1964 Civil Rights act conferring legal equality on black people.
Rodden did not respond to multiple Observer requests for comment, which detailed the findings of this story, sent to his ICE email address. A call to a phone number associated with Rodden reached a man who declined to confirm his identity before hanging up. When approached in a public hallway outside the Dallas immigration court and asked to confirm receipt of the emailed requests, Rodden said only to "call [his] press office." An ICE spokesperson declined to confirm Rodden's employment, and the agency declined to release personnel records for Rodden without his written permission. The spokesperson wrote in an email: "U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not comment on the substance of this article pending further investigation, to include whether the owner of the referenced 'X' account is a current employee. Notwithstanding, ICE holds its employees to the highest standards of professionalism and takes seriously all allegations of inappropriate conduct."
Looks like the violent, fascist opinions he proudly declares aren't enough to get even perfunctory compliance out of ICE with respect to open records. Perhaps a reminder that it's never just the officer, it's always the force.
An attorney expressing racism, xenophobia, and fascist politics would raise questions about their ability to act fairly and impartially in legal proceedings, such as in Rodden's capacity representing ICE in immigration removal hearings, said Cyrus Mehta, a New York-based immigration attorney with over 30 years of experience.
