The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Monday that the number of assaults and violent attacks against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers has surged more than 1,150% compared to the same period last year during the Biden administration. The report, released by DHS, indicated that from January 21 through November 21, 238 violent attacks were recorded against ICE officers, a sharp rise from the 19 incidents recorded during the same period in 2024.
Officials within the DHS attributed this alarming increase to public ‘rhetoric’ from officials in sanctuary jurisdictions. Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement warning that such language could provoke further violence and urging politicians to tone down their inflammatory remarks. She emphasized that the current situation could lead to more serious consequences, including the loss of life for law enforcement officers.
McLaughlin criticized the rhetoric used by Democrat politicians, who have often compared ICE to entities such as Nazis, Gestapo, and slave patrols, and have encouraged undocumented immigrants to resist arrest. She stated that this ‘incendiary rhetoric’ has led to the increased violence against ICE agents. According to the agency, the violent attacks against officers have encompassed a wide range of incidents, ranging from physical assaults, spitting, kicking, and biting during arrests to severe acts such as vehicle ramming, gunfire, and Molotov cocktail attacks.
Several notable incidents have been reported, including an attack in Homestead, Florida, where a Guatemalan national allegedly reversed his vehicle into an ICE agent’s leg during an attempted arrest. Another incident involved a former U.S. Marine Corps reservist who was allegedly part of an ambush at the Prairieland Detention Center, where multiple individuals opened fire on federal officers. In June, a fugitive named Eric Anthony Rodriguez reportedly attempted to attack officers with a Molotov cocktail at a hotel near Los Angeles International Airport, where 15 ICE and 12 CBP officers were staying.
These incidents highlight the escalating dangers faced by ICE officers, as stated by DHS, which emphasized that attacks on law enforcement personnel are considered an attack on the rule of law itself. The report serves as a clear warning that the rhetoric surrounding sanctuary policies and immigration enforcement is having tangible and dangerous consequences for the safety of all frontline officers.