A former sergeant from the New York City Police Department, Atickul Islam, confessed to impersonating a federal immigration official to intimidate a woman and her family with threats of deportation. Prosecutors revealed this was part of a personal retaliation attempt. Islam, 29, from Queens, pleaded guilty in Brooklyn federal court for falsely impersonating a U.S. officer, an offense with a potential maximum imprisonment of three years. U.S. District Judge Dora L. Irizarry accepted the plea.
Federal court documents indicate that Islam falsely represented himself as the director of the New York Field Office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He sent the woman a document resembling an official immigration notice, instructing her and her family to report to an ICE office in New York City by April 15, 2025. This led to his charge of impersonating a federal officer.
ICE’s enforcement framework has grown significantly under President Donald Trump’s administration, with thousands of officers and agents added nationally, funded by billions of new dollars. This expansion coincides with numerous incidents of individuals impersonating ICE agents.
In late March, Islam sent a series of text messages to the woman, threatening that her family would always struggle financially. He also threatened to notify ICE to deport her family and suggested awareness of their residence location, according to the Justice Department. Within hours, using an unknown number, Islam called the woman, pretending to be the ICE office director, characterizing a message as an “official notice,” and threatening them with further legal action if they did not report to an ICE office.
Joseph Nocella Jr., the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, emphasized Islam’s betrayal of trust, stating, “Instead of upholding the law and serving members of his community, Atickul Islam used lies and the threat of deportation to take revenge on a woman in his personal life.” He reiterated the expectation for law enforcement officers to act with integrity and assured that misuse of federal authority for personal vendettas would not be tolerated.
James C. Barnacle Jr., the FBI’s New York Field Office assistant director, criticized Islam for exploiting fake authority to target a victim for personal reasons.
As part of the plea agreement, Islam resigned from the NYPD on September 25, five days before pleading guilty. He agreed not to seek any further law enforcement roles. Initially, Islam had entered a not guilty plea after his November 2025 arrest, but later changed his plea amid ongoing legal proceedings.
Islam’s sentencing is scheduled for March 24, 2027. While the statutory maximum is three years, the court will decide the final sentence. Notifications were sent to the victim, who was not present at the plea hearing.
In 2025, the FBI issued a warning to law enforcement about criminals impersonating ICE agents to exploit heightened public fear, linking such impersonations to crimes like robberies and kidnappings. A series of cited incidents involved individuals posing as ICE officers, including cases of assault and robbery.
A spokesperson for ICE condemned the impersonation of its agents as both dangerous and illegal, affirming support for charges against imposters at various legal levels. Scott Mechkowski, a retired ICE agent, noted the ongoing issue of impersonation since DHS and ICE’s inception, reminding that public belief in ICE’s omnipresence facilitates such deceit.
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