Assaults against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have risen sharply since President Trump returned to office, according to new figures released by the Department of Homeland Security.
DHS reports 647 assaults on ICE personnel between Jan. 20, 2025, and Sept. 20, 2026, compared with 37 assaults during the equivalent period under the Biden administration, from Jan. 20, 2021, to Sept. 20, 2022. That amounts to a 1,649% increase.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin attributed the rise in violence to escalating opposition to the administration’s immigration enforcement push and to rhetoric from local officials who oppose ICE operations.
“The brave men and women of ICE, who are simply enforcing the laws mandated by Congress and protecting the American people, are under attack every single day. Since President Trump unleashed ICE to do their jobs, assaults against them have risen by more than 1,600% in the first year and a half of the administration,” Mullin said.
Mullin placed blame on what he called “vicious lies” 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,” he said.
Incidents Cited by DHS
DHS pointed to several specific cases tied to the rise in violence:
- In October 2025, Eduardo Aguilar, an illegal immigrant from Mexico living in Dallas, Texas, was arrested after allegedly posting a TikTok video in Spanish soliciting the murder of ICE personnel.
- In July 2025, a group of anti-ICE protesters opened fire on officers at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, wounding a law enforcement officer. Eight suspects connected to the case were sentenced in June to prison terms ranging from 30 to 100 years.
- In June 2025, Gabriel Hurtado-Cariaco, identified by authorities as a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, was accused of throwing an ICE agent to the ground in Bellevue, Nebraska, slamming her head into the pavement, ripping off her body armor, and making repeated violent contact during an attempted arrest. The agent suffered serious head and arm injuries and was treated at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Hurtado-Cariaco is charged with attempted murder.
- A Portland man was sentenced to 30 months in prison for throwing a rock at an ICE officer during a protest.
DHS said officers have also faced rocks, Molotov cocktails, and other thrown objects, along with weapons brandished and threats made during protests and enforcement operations.
Political Rhetoric
DHS noted that some lawmakers have called for abolishing the agency altogether, while others have compared ICE to “the SS” and “the Gestapo.” Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has likened the agency to “slave patrols” that were “disappearing people based on their skin color.”
DHS says ICE arrests have included individuals with criminal records for murder, child sex crimes, terrorism, and drug trafficking, among other offenses.
The rise in assaults has come as Democratic-led jurisdictions have expanded sanctuary policies limiting cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.
