Assaults against ICE up 1,700%+ as Dems' criticism grows

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin blamed Democrats, saying increased violence is “a result of vicious lies being spread by sanctuary politicians and their foot soldiers who are involved in anti-ICE riots and other acts of violence. DHS is calling on these sanctuary politicians to stop attacking federal law enforcement, stop putting the needs of illegal aliens ahead of the safety of American citizens, and to start working with us to make America safe again.”

The data was released after the third Hispanic man was shot in Texas by ICE officers and Democratic politicians in Texas and nationwide increased their anti-ICE rhetoric, The Center Square reported. Democrats have compared ICE officers to a “modern day Gestapo,” “slave patrols disappearing people” and Russian KGB officers, among other claims.

Violence against ICE officers is occurring nationwide, caused by protesters and rioters, by those resisting arrest, and by those who shoot or threaten to shoot federal agents.

Violence committed at protests and riots span the West to East coasts.

In Minneapolis, three rioters attacked federal agents with one biting off an ICE Homeland Security Investigations agent’s finger. In San Francisco, rioters assaulted four federal agents, causing injuries. In Los Angeles, rioters threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at ICE and Border Patrol officers, The Center Square reported. One who pleaded guilty was recently sentenced to two and a half years in prison.

Violent attacks while resisting arrest are also occurring nationwide.

In Houston, a Salvadoran national convicted of child sexual assault, hit an ICE officer with a metal coffee cup burning his face and cutting his lip. Also in Houston, a Mexican national strangled a Border Patrol agent while trying to escape, The Center Square reported. In Tullos, Louisiana, while resisting arrest, an illegal foreign national bit into an officer’s hand.

In Nebraska, multiple people were arrested for attacking federal agents during a targeted workforce operation involving alleged identity theft, human trafficking and labor violations. In another enforcement action in Nebraska, a known Tren de Aragua member allegedly assaulted an ICE HSI special agent by throwing her to ground, slamming her head on the pavement, ripping off her body armor. In other cases, a Mexican national allegedly dragged an ICE officer 50 yards by car, and a Salvadoran national attempted to murder of a U.S. attorney, The Center Square reported. They were charged with multiple offenses.

Doxxing is also occurring nationwide from North Carolina to San Diego, where a U.S. citizen pleaded guilty to posting an ICE attorney’s address on social media and directed others to make false police calls to “SWAT” her, The Center Square reported. 

Threats also include mailing envelopes with white powdery substances. Several were mailed to ICE field offices in north Texas; five were sent to an ICE New York City Field Office.

Targeted shootings of federal officers and facilities have largely occurred in Texas. 

On July 4, 2025, in a planned ambush, more than a dozen members of Antifa targeted an ICE detention center in Alvarado, shooting a local police officer in the neck. At the time, there was a 700% increase in assaults against ICE officers, The Center Square reported. Eight of them were convicted on terrorism charges and sentenced to decades in prison. 

On July 7, 2025, a Michigan resident fired multiple rounds at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol annex in McAllen, striking a police officer who responded. The shooter was shot dead by Border Patrol agents, The Center Square reported.

During September 2025, a sniper opened fire on ICE’s Dallas Field Office, killing two illegal foreign nationals in custody and injuring a third before taking his own life. 

Death threats against ICE officers are also up by 8,000%, The Center Square reported, with arrests and prosecutions occurring nationwide. 

In Washington, a U.S. citizen threatened to shoot ICE agents. In New Jersey, a rioter threatened to kill ICE officers and their family members. In San Francisco, a U.S. citizen and convicted murderer was arrested for threatening to kill ICE agents. In Oregon, a U.S. citizen was arrested after posting a manifesto with detailed plans to kill ICE personnel using Molotov cocktails and a gun. 

In Dallas, a U.S. citizen was arrested after making bomb threats targeting an ICE Dallas facility and officers. A Mexican national illegally living in Dallas was arrested for soliciting the murder of ICE officers for $10,000, The Center Square reported. 

Republican U.S. senators, led by U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, introduced the ICE Protection Act to increase penalties for those who assault and injure ICE officers, The Center Square reported.