U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

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[[File:U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Logo.svg|thumb|right|165px|The agency's logo.]]
{{immigration}}
'''U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement''', commonly known by its initials '''ICE''', is an agency of the [[Department of Homeland Security]] tasked with enforcing the [[United States]]' immigration laws. ICE does not patrol the US borders; that task is handled by its sister agency, the United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP).<ref>{{wpa|United States Customs and Border Protection|}}</ref> Instead, ICE is responsible for arresting, detaining, and deporting undocumented immigrants already within the United States.<ref name="icei">[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/03/us/politics/fact-check-ice-immigration-abolish.html What Is ICE and Why Do Critics Want to Abolish It?] by Ron Nixon and Linda Qiu, ''New York Times.'' July 3, 2018. (Paywall)</ref> 

Under the first presidency of [[Donald Trump]], the agency has become unreasonably aggressive in its task of removing unwanted individuals to the point that it has become responsible for an ongoing [[human rights]] fiasco.<ref>[https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses ICE and Border Patrol abuses] ''ACLU''</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Press|first= Bill|date=2018 |title= Trump Must Go: The Top 100 Reasons to Dump Trump (and One to Keep Him)|url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Trump_Must_Go/y5tKDwAAQBAJ |quote= 19. What do you think of when you hear the term fascism? A secret, unaccountable police force trampling on basic constitutional rights? People being asked for their papers and arrested without warrant or charges? Activists being jailed for their political views, and families forced to live every day in fear of being rounded up, broken up, and locked up or deported? <u>Welcome to Donald Trump's America. For him, that secret, unaccountable police force is U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.</u> True, Barack Obama wasn't exactly known for being soft on those in this country illegally. He oversaw the deportation of so many more people than George W. Bush that he became known as the Deporter in Chief. But, at the same time, he was pushing [[Congress]] to provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. When Congress refused, Obama limited ICE enforcement actions to those people with serious criminal violations. Just being in the United States illegally did not count. <u>All that's changed under Trump. All restrictions are off.</u> And, of course, the net effect of lowering the standards for roundup and arrest is that ICE cops go after the easiest targets. As one agent put it, the goal is no longer to catch the bad guys but simply to "fill the beds." Perhaps unwittingly, ICE deputy director Thomas D. Homan confirmed their new priority: "ICE will enforce the law, and if you are found to be breaking the law, you will be held accountable." And the obvious results soon followed. <u>In Trump's first year, arrests by ICE went up 40 percent, especially among those with no criminal record.</u> In 2017 alone, ICE made 37,734 "noncriminal arrests," more than twice the number in 2016. As Brian Tashman of the ACLU noted in February 2018, "In the past year, ICE has gone after parents dropping off their children at school; primary caregivers to family members with disabilities; domestic abuse survivors seeking legal protections; religious minorities who fear persecution; political activists; community leaders; and people who work everywhere from convenience stores to dairy farms." <u>The results are thousands of modern-day gestapo arrests that are unworthy of a free society and amount to nothing less than clear and dangerous suppression at the hands of the federal government. </u>|publisher=  St. Martin's Publishing Group|page= |isbn=9781250306487 |access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref> Since Trump reclaimed office in 2025, ICE has turned into an out-of-control organization, illegally arresting countless innocent people, and act as Trump’s Gestapo, targeting people, especially Latin and Central American people, who openly oppose his xenophobic immigration policies. It wasn't all Trump's fault, however; ICE's abuses against undocumented immigrants happened under President [[Obama]]'s watch as well.<ref>[https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/border-patrol-was-monstrous-under-obama-imagine The Border Patrol Was Monstrous Under Obama. Imagine How Bad It Is Under Trump.] by Mitra Ebadolahi, Border Litigation Project Staff Attorney, ACLU of San Diego & Imperial Counties.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last= Navarro  |first= Armando|date= 2012|title=Global Capitalist Crisis and the Second Great Depression: Egalitarian Systemic Models for Change |url= https://www.google.com/books/edition/Global_Capitalist_Crisis_and_the_Second/5Od3EQAAQBAJ|page= esp. 367|quote= As a people, Mexicano and Latinos (particularly immigrants) suffer from the Palestinian/Jewish persecution syndrome. [...] Like the Palestinians, Mexicanos and Latinos are colonized, occupied, powerless, oppressed, and exploited. In a historical context, Mexicanos and Latinos are today like the Jews of Nazi Germany, subject to the [[Republican]]s' political war of scapegoating, ethnic cleansing, immigrant bashing, vitriolic attacks, persecution, and repression. Recall that the Jews were compelled to wear, for identification purposes, the Star of David on their lapels and that the Jews were subjected to the repression of Hitler's Brown Shirts. Today, the Mexicanos' and Latinos' brown skin, surname, where they live and work have become criteria for both state and federal persecution and repression. <u>This situation is illustrated throughout the country in the incessant police harassment and ICE's Gestapo-like raids. While Republicans may be at the avant-garde of these attacks, it should be noted that Democrats are complicit as well. Obama's Department of Home-land Security's Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2010 deported some 392,862 during their Gestapo-like raids at job sites.</u> This number is higher than that of the previous Bush administration, and this figure is expected to increase in 2011 to over 400,000,43|publisher= Bloomsbury Publishing|chapter=9 |isbn= 9798216346852|access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref>

ICE was established in 2003 by the {{wpl|Homeland Security Act||,}} which created the Department of Homeland Security and integrated the former Immigration and Naturalization Service into what is now ICE.<ref>[https://www.ice.gov/features/history History of ICE] ''ICE''</ref> 

==Abuses==
===Recruitment and "background checks"===
In 2025 at the beginning of Trump's second regime, ICE had 10,000 employees. Following the passage of the [[Deceit|deceptively]]-named "Big Beautiful Bill" by a Republican-controlled Congress, ICE funding massively increased with 12,000 new recruits, and little oversight. ''Slate'' [[journalist]] Laura Jedeed, who has a military background, applied to join ICE as an experiment to see what the process was like. After filling out an application and interviewed, and was told that she would hear back from them. An email was sent to her requesting "driver’s license information, an affidavit that I’ve never received a [[domestic violence]] conviction, and consent for a background check." She initially missed that email (and hence never responded to it), and assumed that ICE was uninterested in her. Later she received an email requesting that she make an appointment for a drug test to complete her required pre-employment process. At that time, Jedeed had recently taken legal [[cannabis]], so she expected to fail the drug test that she took. Regardless of all this, she was offered a job at ICE, "Welcome to Ice. … Your duty location is New York, New York. Your EOD{{efn|Entered On Duty}} was on Tuesday, September 30th, 2025."<ref>[https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/01/ice-recruitment-minneapolis-shooting.html You’ve Heard About Who ICE Is Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I’m the Proof. What happens when you do minimal screening before hiring agents, arming them, and sending them into the streets? We’re all finding out.] by Laura Jedeed (Jan 13, 20265:40 AM) ''Slate''.</ref> The lack of meaningful background checks would explain why violent, lawless activity by ICE officers has increased substantially since the start of the second regime.

===Family separation policy and child detention centers===
As part of the Trump Administration's zero-tolerance immigration policy, the family separation policy of migrant children from their parents was officially adopted from April 2018 to June 2018,<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/20/us/immigrant-children-separation-ice.html Hundreds of Immigrant Children Have Been Taken From Parents at U.S. Border] ''The New York Times''. April 20, 2018. (Paywall)</ref><ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/16/us/politics/family-separation-trump.html How Trump Came to Enforce a Practice of Separating Migrant Families] ''The New York Times''. June 16, 2018. (Paywall)</ref> although it was found that the practice had begun a year prior to the policy's official announcement.<ref name="usatoday">[https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/07/democrats-trump-administration-family-separation-policy-border-immigration/2794324002/ Democrats grill Trump administration officials over family separation policy on the border] ''USA Today''. Feb, 7, 2019.</ref>

As of December 2018, roughly 15,000 children are currently detained within U.S. custody.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2018/dec/22/migrant-children-us-custody How many migrant children are detained in US custody?] ''The Guardian''. December 22, 2018.</ref>

===Rape and sexual assault===
ICE has a long history of [[rape]] and sexual assault within the agency. In April 2018, ''The Intercept'' reported they had obtained 1,224 complaints of sexual assault filed between 2010 and September 2017, but DHS officials indicated they had received roughly 33,000 complaints between 2010 and 2016 that had not been shared with ''The Intercept''.<ref>[https://theintercept.com/2018/04/11/immigration-detention-sexual-abuse-ice-dhs/ 1,224 Records of Sexual Assault in ICE Detention] ''The Intercept''. April 11 2019.</ref> In February 2019, government documents revealed that over 5,800 migrant children faced alleged sexual abuse while in ICE custody.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-47377889 'Thousands of US child migrants sexually abused'] ''BBC''. 26 February 2019.</ref><ref>[https://www.thecut.com/2019/02/5-800-children-alleged-sexual-abuse-while-detained-by-u-s.html https://www.thecut.com/2019/02/5-800-children-alleged-sexual-abuse-while-detained-by-u-s.html] ''The Cut''. Feb. 26, 2019.</ref>

===Inhumane conditions===
[[File:ICE detention center.jpeg|thumb|right|250px|ICE detention center in Texas.]]
Another report from ''The Intercept'' found that at the ICE processing center in Adelanto, [[California]], the staff had been ignoring medical emergencies, the food was infested with maggots, and detainees working in the kitchens were being paid only $1 a day.<ref>[https://theintercept.com/2018/10/11/adelanto-ice-detention-center-abuse/ At largest ICE detention center in the country, guards called attempted suicides "failures"] ''The Intercept''. October 11, 2018.</ref> A report from the DHS Office of Inspector General reported guards mocking survivors of attempted [[suicide]] as "suicide failures", inadequate sanitation and food services within the facility, medical staff neglecting detainees, and staff members refusing to allow religious practices, telephone access and visitation.<ref>[https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2018-10/OIG-18-86-Sep18.pdf Management Alert – Issues Requiring Action at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Adelanto, California] ''Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security''.</ref> Another DHS report found that the facility in Newark, [[New Jersey]] had kitchens serving raw, spoiled and expired meat and storing moldy bread, leaking roofs in every housing unit, flat and dilapidated bed mattresses held together with tied sheets, and showers with mold, mildew and peeling paint.<ref>[https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2019-02/OIG-19-20-Feb19.pdf Issues Requiring Action at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, New Jersey] ''Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security''</ref> Additionally, in response to hunger strikes by eleven detainees at the processing center in El Paso, [[Texas]], ICE officers began force-feeding six of them with nasal tubes, resulting in nosebleeds and vomiting.<ref>[https://apnews.com/c4b201dac8bf48eba17485a5c357b810 APNewsBreak: ICE force-feeding detainees on hunger strike] ''Associated Press''. January 31, 2019.</ref> Immigrant children at Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center in [[Virginia]] have said that they were beaten, left in their cells naked, and strapped to chairs by the guards.<ref>[https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-news-virginia-abuse-062118-story.html Immigrant children say they were beaten, kept naked in cells and tied to chairs at center] ''New York Daily News''. Jun 21, 2018.</ref>

ICE regularly inflicts [[solitary confinement]] on detainees at the slightest provocation, confining people to tiny cells for 23 hours a day and letting them pace around inside what amounts to a cage for one hour.<ref>[https://theintercept.com/2019/05/21/ice-solitary-confinement-immigration-detention/ Thousands of Immigrants Suffer in Solitary Confinement in ICE Detention] ''The Intercept''</ref> A policy adviser at the DHS revealed ICE had been engaging in infliction punishment on [[gay]] detainees, [[transgender]] detainees, [[disability|disabled]] detainees,<ref group=note>Including those needing wheelchairs and canes, and one man who had a prosthetic leg.</ref> detainees with mental illnesses, and detainees reporting abuses committed by ICE staff, with only half the cases being for rule violations.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/thousands-immigrants-suffer-solitary-confinement-u-s-detention-centers-n1007881 Thousands of immigrants suffer in solitary confinement in U.S. detention centers] ''NBC News''. May 20, 2019.</ref> The [[UN]] has declared that solitary confinement in excess of 15 days or more should be banned, as it is a form of [[torture]].<ref>[https://news.un.org/en/story/2011/10/392012-solitary-confinement-should-be-banned-most-cases-un-expert-says Solitary confinement should be banned in most cases, UN expert says] United Nations News.</ref> Despite this, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists analyzed more than 8,400 records of ICE using solitary confinement on detainees, finding that more than half of the cases were in excess of 15 days, 573 were in excess of 90 days, 32 stints lasted more than a year (!), and a whopping one-third of detainees placed in solitary were mentally ill (373 of whom had to be placed on suicide watch).<ref>[https://www.icij.org/investigations/solitary-voices/how-us-immigration-authorities-use-solitary-confinement/ How US immigration authorities use solitary confinement] International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. May 20, 2019</ref>

Recently, there are disturbing reports that ICE has allowed forced hysterectomies to be given to female detainees,<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/09/25/ice-is-accused-sterilizing-detainees-that-echoes-uss-long-history-forced-sterilization/ ICE is accused of sterilizing detainees. That echoes the U.S.’s long history of forced sterilization.] Steven Moore. The Washington Post. September 25, 2020 (Paywall)</ref> promoting massive public outcry, and drawing comparisons to [[China]]'s own ongoing [[Uighur genocide|mass sterilization campaigns]].<ref group=note>Of course, [[Stalin apologetics|tankies]] naturally [[whataboutism|use it to justify]] China's campaign, while Trump apologists use the same CCP playbook to deny any wrongdoing. [[Horseshoe theory]] at its finest.</ref>

===Deaths in detention===
Under the Freedom of Information Act, ''[[The New York Times]]'' and the [[American Civil Liberties Union]] obtained documents revealing 107 deaths occurring in ICE custody from October 2003 to 2007.<ref name="deaths">[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/us/10detain.html Officials Hid Truth of Immigrant Deaths in Jail] ''The New York Times''. Jan. 9, 2010.</ref> These deaths included a man who was left in an isolation for 13 hours following a head fracture, a man who committed suicide after being denied painkillers following a leg surgery after a motorcycle accident, a woman who did not receive treatment for a uterine fibroid tumor, a man who did not receive treatment for a kidney ailment, and a woman who was denied treatment for pancreatic [[cancer]] for several weeks.<ref name="deaths"/> Since 2007, that number has gone up to 188, with 22 deaths occurring in the last two years.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/22-immigrants-died-ice-detention-centers-during-past-2-years-n954781 22 immigrants died in ICE detention centers during the past 2 years] ''NBC News''. Jan. 6, 2019.</ref> Of the 24 individuals to die during Trump's term in office, it has been concluded that at least six of those deaths were caused by the agency's failure to provide adequate medical care.<ref>[https://www.pogo.org/investigation/2019/05/medical-neglect-at-a-denver-immigration-jail/ Medical Neglect at a Denver Immigration Jail] Project on Government Oversight.</ref> Trump has exacerbated the problem of deaths occurring in ICE custody. 2017, his first year in office, saw 12 detainees die in ICE custody, the greatest number since 2009, Obama's first year in office.<ref name="hrwicei">[https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/20/us-poor-medical-care-deaths-immigrant-detention US: Poor Medical Care, Deaths, in Immigrant Detention] Human Rights Watch.</ref> Clara Long, a senior researcher for the Human Rights Watch has said that, "ICE has proven unable or unwilling to provide adequately for the health and safety of the people it detains. The Trump administration’s efforts to drastically expand the already-bloated immigration detention system will only put more people at risk."<ref name="hrwicei"/>

===Religious freedom violations===
[[File:ICE rosaries.jpeg|thumb|right|250px|Rosaries confiscated from ICE detainees.]]
{{main|Freedom of religion}}
While the Trump administration touts its commitment to "religious freedom,"<ref>[https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-stands-religious-freedom-united-states/ President Donald J. Trump Stands Up For Religious Freedom In The United States] Whitehouse.gov</ref> both ICE and the Border Patrol frequently and intentionally violate the religious rights of their detainees. Egregious examples of these abuses include feeding nothing but [[pork]] sandwiches to a devout [[Muslim]] once every eight hours,<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/border-patrol-fed-pork-to-muslim-detainee-for-six-days_n_5c76f474e4b0d3a48b5627a2 Border Patrol Fed Pork To Muslim Detainee For 6 Days] ''Huffington Post''. 02/27/2019</ref> punishing [[Sikh]]s for wearing head coverings and forcing them to [[pray]] near toilets,<ref>[https://www.opb.org/news/article/lawsuit-religious-freedoms-denied-ice-sheridan-oregon-prison/ New Complaint Says Religious Freedoms Denied For Sheridan ICE Detainees] Nov. 1, 2018</ref> and repeatedly denying prayer services and religious texts for Muslims on the justification that "This is Glades County!"<ref>[https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/muslims-ice.pdf United States District Court Fort Myers Division].</ref> This conduct is not limited to Muslims and Sikhs; [[Christian]]s as well are consistently denied access to religious materials, services, and clergy.<ref>[https://www.christiancentury.org/article/news/clergy-visits-give-hope-ice-detainees-access-inconsistent Clergy visits give hope to ICE detainees, but access is inconsistent] ''Christian Century''. December 6, 2018.</ref> There are also reports of guards mocking Christian detainees for praying.

These violations of fundamental rights are unnecessary for any security purpose and appear to be intended as a means of harassment and a means of pressuring detainees to give up on their case and accept immediate deportation rather than to wait out the results of their case.<ref>[https://www.courthousenews.com/muslim-detainees-say-ice-interferes-with-their-religious-practices/ Muslim Detainees Say ICE Interferes With Their Religious Practices] Courthouse News. February 27, 2019.</ref> The US government has previously acknowledged how important religion can be for prisoner morale, mental health, and rehabilitation; what ICE is doing is illegal under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000, which guarantees religious rights for all prisoners in the United States, whether documented or otherwise.<ref>[https://www.justice.gov/crt/religious-land-use-and-institutionalized-persons-act-0 Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act ("RLUIPA"), 42 U.S.C. § 2000cc.]</ref>

During Trump's second tenure, there have been public protests by clergy and faith leaders from various denomination against ICE and immigration enforcement practices in various locations. In some cases, religious leaders and activists were arrested during protests and even physically assaulted. Even the Christians that ICE supporters allegedly valorize get assailed, as reports mention clergy being [[Police_brutality#Pepper_spray|pepper-sprayed]] or hit with {{wpl|pepper-spray pellet|pepper ball projectiles}} by ICE agents during demonstrations in cities such as Chicago.<ref>[https://uscatholic.org/articles/202601/ice-attacks-on-clergy-are-an-assault-on-religious-freedom/ US Catholic: "ICE attacks on clergy are an assault on religious freedom" by Leonardo Mendoza (published January 7, 2026 - retrieved January 24, 2026)]</ref><ref>[https://edition.cnn.com/2025/10/10/us/illinois-judge-ruling-ice-protests-pastor-chicago-hnk CNN: "Judge orders restrictions on federal tactics against ICE protesters after Chicago-area pastor shot with pepper balls" by Laura Sharman & Caroll Alvarado (October 10, 2025 - retrieved January 24, 2026)]</ref>

===Incompetence and corruption===
In February 2019, the DHS Office of Inspector General reported that ICE had not been holding private contractors accountable for issues at their detention centers, issuing only two fines in 14,003 cases between October 2015 and June 2018 that included sexual assault, use of tear gas and so on.<ref>[https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2019-02/OIG-19-18-Jan19.pdf ICE Does Not Fully Use Contracting Tools to Hold Detention Facility Contractors Accountable for Failing to Meet Performance Standards] ''Office of Inspector General, Department of Homeland Security''.</ref><ref>[https://www.npr.org/2019/02/01/690690056/ice-failed-to-hold-detention-center-contractors-accountable-report-finds ICE Failed to Hold Detention Center Contractors Accountable, Report Finds] ''NPR''. February 1, 2019.</ref>

ICE has also proven to be dangerously vindictive. When citizens in several [[North Carolina]] counties elected sheriffs who agreed to the termination of 287(g) cooperation agreements with ICE that notify federal agents of the immigration status of detained individuals, ICE retaliated with a five-day crackdown in those counties' 200 people, 60 of whom ICE had previously held no interest in.<ref>[https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/north-carolinians-voted-end-cooperation-trumps North Carolinians Voted to End Cooperation With Trump’s Deportation Force. ICE Retaliated.] ACLU. 2.27.19</ref> This was done to cause maximum [[chaos]] in order to punish the citizens and sheriffs of those counties for refusing to comply with ICE's draconian anti-immigrant measures. ICE also punishes detainees who have the temerity to cooperate in legal cases against them. Such was the case of several [[Iraq]]i detainees, who were ACLU clients, in Arizona who were told they were about to be released, only for their guards to reveal mid-charade that they were actually only being sent to a different ICE facility.<ref>[https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/immigrants-rights-and-detention/ice-abusing-aclus-clients-because-they-are ICE Is Abusing the ACLU’s Clients Because They are Fighting Trump’s Deportation Machine]. ACLU. 7.31.17</ref> This was an intentional and cruel form of psychological punishment.
===Murders===
{{cquote|'''Harry Callahan''': You "[[sarcasm|heroes]]" have killed a dozen people this week... What are you gonna do next week?<br>'''Officer Davis (one of the renegade police officers)''': [[Fascism|Kill a dozen more]].|||{{wpl|Magnum Force|''Magnum Force''| (1973)}}, before Harry tells them that they've misjudged him.<ref>[https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Magnum_Force ''Magnum Force''] ''Wikiquote''.</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgHWwYQ3XSg  Magnum Force (7/10) Movie CLIP - For Us or Against Us (1973) HD]</ref>}} 
Since its inception in 2004, ICE has had a history of causing deaths — from gross negligence to outright extrajudical murder. These trends occur during tenures of both Republican and Democratic presidents; though the years when these numbers really spike tend to happen during Republican presidents' tenure.{{efn|Highest being 2004 (Dubya I; 32), 2005 (Dubya II; 20), 2020 (Trump I; 20) and 2025 (Trump II; 32)}} Due to complications regarding legal doctrines, systemic oversight flaws, and recent federal resistance to state-level investigations, it's very hard to get the true story about under what circumstances certain detainees died to, not to mention holding ICE agents accountable for any kind of manslaughter regardless if gross negligence is involved.

Trump's return as US President in early 2025 would lead to spike in deaths caused by ICE agents, with it being observed as early as October 2025 that the year was one of the most fatal in the entity's history.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Ximena Bustillo|author2=Rahul Mukherjee |title= It's the deadliest year for people in ICE custody in decades; next year could be worse|url= https://www.npr.org/2025/10/23/nx-s1-5538090/ice-detention-custody-immigration-arrest-enforcement-dhs-trump|website= NPR|access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref> According to reports published in January 2026, 32 people had died in ICE custody in 2025, which is the most since the same amount of deaths in 2004, the year of their founding.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Maanvi Singh|author2= Coral Murphy Marcos|author3= Charlotte Simmonds |date= January 4, 2026|title=2025 was ICE’s deadliest year in two decades. Here are the 32 people who died in custody |url= https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jan/04/ice-2025-deaths-timeline|website= The Guardian|access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref> 

By January 9, 2026, under Trump's second tenure, ICE has been involved in 29 incidents in which ICE agents have brandished guns — 16 being shootings perpetrated by them. However, there may be underestimates because not all encounters are publicly documented or reported. These known incidents have resulted in four deaths and at least seven injuries.<ref>{{cite web |last= Dunbar|first=Marina |date= January 9, 2026|title= US immigration agents linked to 16 shootings under Trump’s crackdown|url= https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/07/trump-immigration-ice-shootings|website= The Guardian |access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last= Jeyaretnam|first= Miranda |date=January 9, 2026 |title=Federal Officers Don’t Have ‘Absolute Immunity’ but Prosecution Isn’t Easy |url= https://time.com/7344924/federal-officers-shooting-immigration-portland-minneapolis-prosecution-immunity/|website= TIME Magazine|access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref>

====Known shooting fatalities====
* On September 12, 2025, Silverio Villegas-González (38) — a Mexican immigrant and father of two — was fatally shot by federal ICE agents near Chicago, during a traffic stop after dropping his children at daycare. The law enforcement’s official account states that a federal agent was hit and dragged by the vehicle, but independent footage and reporting indicate the actual contact may have been limited, and the wording about being “dragged a significant distance” has been challenged in local reporting and video evidence.<ref>{{cite web |last= Moore|first= Matt|date= September 23, 2025|title=Bodycam uncovers fatal ICE shooting details |url= https://chicago.suntimes.com/morning-edition/2025/09/23/ice-silverio-villegas-gonzalez-lead-chicago|website= Chicago Sun Times |access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Wille|first=Belkis |date= September 16, 2025|title=Investigate Death of Mexican National During ICE Stop |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/09/16/investigate-death-of-mexican-national-during-ice-stop|website=Human Rights Watch|access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Renee Hickman|author2= Brad Brooks |date=September 24, 2025 |title=Footage of deadly ICE shooting in Chicago suburb challenges official narrative |url= https://www.reuters.com/world/us/police-records-witness-accounts-complicate-dhs-narrative-fatal-chicago-area-ice-2025-09-24/|website= Reuters |access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref>
* On December 31, 2025, Keith Porter Jr. (43) was fatally shot by an off‑duty ICE agent in their Los Angeles apartment complex. Porter was firing a rifle into the air in a New Year’s tradition. DHS says the agent identified himself, ordered Porter to drop the weapon, and fired after Porter allegedly aimed at him. Porter’s family and witnesses dispute this, saying the agent never identified himself and that Porter did not aim at anyone. Critics argue the off‑duty agent should have called LAPD instead. The shooting has sparked protests and calls from Black Lives Matter Los Angeles and others for an independent investigation and accountability.<ref>{{cite web |author1=James Queally |author2= Libor Jany|author3= Christopher Buchanan |date=January 8, 2026 |title=‘Active shooter’ or ICE agent’s victim? What happened in L.A. New Year’s Eve killing? |url= https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-01-08/ice-agent-keith-porter-killing-investigation|website=Los Angeles Times |access-date=January 10, 2026}}</ref>
* On January 7, 2026, ICE agents {{wpl|Killing of Renée Good|murdered the 37-old Renée Good||;}} immediately after shooting Good three times, the ICE agent responsible muttered "fucking bitch". As with Villegas-González, the officials claimed she tried to ram agents with her vehicle, though video evidence has been cited by local leaders contradict the agents' account.<ref> https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/live-blog/rcna253165</ref>
* On January 24, 2026, ICE agents fatally shot an innocent Minneapolis person ''again'', this time {{wpl|Killing of Alex Pretti|Alex Jeffrey Pretti}} (37), an intensive care nurse from the VA.<ref>[https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/minneapolis-investigating-ice-shooting-rcna255733 NBC News: "Border Patrol agent shoots and kills man in Minnesota, officials say" by Matt Lavietes, Minyvonne Burke and Natasha Korecki (Jan. 24, 2026 - Updated Jan. 25, 2026)]</ref> DHS says Pretti held a gun, but video footage clearly shows he was holding a fucking phone sideways.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/24/minneapolis-shooting-ice The Guardian: "Video contradicts Trump’s claim man killed in Minneapolis was a ‘gunman’" by Robert Mackey (January 25, 2026)]</ref>

==ICE's American police state==

[[File:ICE raid.jpeg|thumb|right|300px|ICE raid in Ohio]]
Perhaps the most frightening aspect of ICE's enforcement procedures for everyday US citizens is their policy of launching mass raids against [[Racial profiling|anyone who looks like a Latin or Central American person]]. This has been a fact of ICE since the mid-[[W|Bush]] administration. In 2006 ICE started using the excuse of investigating "document fraud" to raid workplaces across the country with ridiculously heavily armed agents.<ref name="icebadiii">[https://truthout.org/articles/ice-the-making-of-an-american-gestapo/ ICE: The Making of an American Gestapo] ''Truthout''</ref> President George W. Bush publicly announced his desire to purge America of all [[illegal immigrant]]s, directly causing 2008 to be a record year for workplace raids, with 6,287 arrests.<ref>[https://www.nydailynews.com/latino/immigration-raid-spotlights-rift-have-nots-article-1.421603 Immigration raid spotlights rift of have-nots] ''NY Daily News'' 2009</ref> Obama issued a series of [[executive order]]s to focus ICE on dangerous criminals, but Trump's "zero tolerance" policy reversed that to target potentially any illegal immigrant.<ref>[https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/22/516649344/whats-new-in-those-dhs-memos-on-immigration-enforcement What's New In Those DHS Memos On Immigration Enforcement?] ''NPR''</ref> ICE raids are traumatic events for the communities they target, as ICE rushes in with military equipment and helicopters to whisk away hundreds of people, leaving jobs empty, families torn apart, and local organizations straining to return things to normality.<ref>[https://www.citylab.com/equity/2018/06/immigration-customs-enforcement-ice-raids-community-impact/563039/ How Immigration Raids Inflict Trauma on Communities] ''CityLab''. Elizabeth Oglesby, a professor of Latin American Studies and Geography at the University of Arizona</ref> Although it seems logical that ICE should first go after dangerous criminals, the agency instead targets so-called "low hanging fruit": people without criminal records who visit ICE for routine check-ins in the hope of earning citizenship<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/nyregion/ice-immigration-check-in-deportation.html Once Routine, Immigration Check-Ins Are Now High Stakes] ''New York Times'' (Paywall)</ref> or testify against criminals in court.<ref>[https://fox5sandiego.com/2018/10/23/man-facing-deportation-after-testifying-against-daughters-molester-family-says/ SoCal man faces deportation after testifying against daughter’s molester, family says] ''Fox5 San Diego''</ref> The effect of ICE raids is widespread fear among immigrant communities and a complete withdrawal from civil and social life.<ref>[https://www.citylab.com/equity/2018/10/where-ice-immigration-raids-are-concentrated/573883/ The Stark Geography of U.S. Immigration Raids] ''CityLab''</ref>

ICE also runs roughshod over the law. In the wake of Trump's "zero tolerance" policy, ICE and CBP agents have taken the law into their own hands by ignoring and violating court orders, denying access to legal counsel, and forcing people to sign documents they have not read.<ref>[https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/02/how-badly-did-cbp-treat-visa-holders-read-these-horror-stories.html "Just Following Orders": Horror stories about the lawlessness of Customs and Border Protection agents in the aftermath of Trump’s immigration ban.] ''Slate''</ref> ICE also arrests DACA beneficiaries who are here legally and conducts unwarranted raids in defiance of the [[Fourth Amendment]].<ref>[https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/02/does-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-think-its-above-the-law.html An alarming arrest raises concerns about the lawlessness of immigration enforcement in the age of Trump.] ''Slate''</ref> Increasing aggressiveness in raiding has resulted in ICE casting a pall over immigrant and minority communities with the threat of "collateral arrests", or arrests of individuals not actually targeted by the raid but who happen to have the wrong skin color.<ref>[https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-ln-ice-operation-20180611-story.html Fear of 'collateral' arrests hangs over ICE sweeps] ''LA Times''</ref> Even more absurdly, ICE has taken to arresting people while they are in the process of applying for citizenship, a counterproductive policy that discourages people from complying with the law.<ref>[https://psmag.com/social-justice/ice-faces-legal-challenges-to-arresting-immigrants-at-courthouses-and-immigration-proceedings Ice faces legal challenges to arresting immigrants at courthouses and immigration proceedings] ''Pacific Standard Magazine''</ref><ref>[https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/2019/04/10/immigrants-avoiding-state-courts-legal-services-due-to-ice-presence-report-says/?slreturn=20190421174517 Immigrants Avoiding State Courts, Legal Services Due to ICE Presence, Report Says] ''New York Law Journal.''</ref> Even legal immigrants are now afraid to visit government buildings, as they are afraid that the ICE agents loitering outside are there for them, too.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/legal-immigrants-fear-getting-arrested-in-court-by-ice Legal Immigrants Fear Getting Arrested in Court by ICE] ''Daily Beast''</ref> ICE uses intimidation tactics against US citizens associated with their targets in the hopes of circumventing constitutional rights and getting away with misrepresenting the law.<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/ice-agents-arrest-rights_n_5c9b86ebe4b07c88662ed4c7 ICE Arrest Foiled By Activist Who Knows The Law: ‘You Have No Jurisdiction Over Me’] ''Huffington Post''</ref> Widespread [[racial profiling]] and aggressive raiding has led to ICE mistakenly arresting almost 1,500 legal United States citizens as of 2018, with ICE agents ignoring and mocking detainees' rightful claims of citizenship.<ref>[https://www.thedailybeast.com/1488-us-citizens-mistakenly-arrested-detained-by-ice-since-2012 1,488 U.S. Citizens Mistakenly Arrested, Detained by ICE Since 2012] ''The Daily Beast''. 2018.</ref>

==Illegal disappearances==
Starting at the beginning of the second Trump administrations, ICE began illegally disappearing non-Salvadoran immigrants to inhumane El Salvadoran prisons.<ref>[https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/danielleharlow/viz/UnitedStatesDisappearedTracker/Map United States Disappeared Tracker] by Danielle Harlow, ''Tableau''.</ref><ref>[https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/ice-deportation-el-salvador-prison-camps-rcna197889 Don’t think ‘it can’t happen here’ — it’s already happening: Demonizing rhetoric from the White House, arrests without due process, deporting immigrants to a brutal prison in a foreign country. This is America today.] by Christopher Mathias (March 30, 2025, 3:00 AM PDT) ''MSNBC''.</ref><ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp9yv1gnzyvo US deports hundreds of Venezuelans despite court order] by Brandon Drenon (16 March 2025) ''BBC''.</ref>

==Crime rate among ICE and CBP agents==
The crime rate among ICE and CBP agents is so high, and the organization is so lawless (particularly beginning with Trump's second regime), that one might rightfully conclude that the two agencies form an [[organized crime]] gang, as they have been working together in concert to commit crime. Journalist Garrett Graff found:<ref>[https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/02/democrats-dhs-ice-reform-graff-cbp/ What Democrats Need to Know to Truly Reform ICE. I’m an expert, and the misconduct and corruption run far deeper than even the deadly surges have shown.] by  Garrett Graff (February 4, 2026) ''Mother Jones''.</ref>
{{cquote|In total, according to CBP’s own discipline reports, over the 20 years from 2005 to 2024&nbsp;— the last year numbers are available&nbsp;— at least 4,913 CBP officers and Border Patrol agents have been arrested themselves, some multiple times.}}
{{cquote|Indeed, for much of the 2010s and likely before and since, it appears the crime rate of CBP agents and offices was higher '''''per capita''''' than the crime rate of undocumented immigrants in the United States.}}

==See also==
*[[Crimes against humanity]]
*[[Illegal immigration]]
*[[Myths and facts about immigration to the United States]]
*[[George W. Bush]] - The man who brought it into existence.
*[[Barack Obama]] - The man who continued its existence.
*[[Donald Trump]] - The man who expanded and intensified its brutality and extremism.
*[[TSA]] — another agency of the DHS.
*[[Gestapo]] - What ICE is a modern version of.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Authoritarianism]]
[[Category:Crimes against humanity]]
[[Category:Fascism]]
[[Category:Government incompetence]]
[[Category:Government surveillance]]
[[Category:Immigration]]
[[Category:Organizations]]
[[Category:Racism]]
[[Category:United States government]]
[[Category:United States politics]]
[[Category:Xenophobia]]

Categories: Authoritarianism, Crimes against humanity, Fascism, Government incompetence, Government surveillance, Immigration, Organizations, Racism, United States government, United States politics, Xenophobia