Threats Against ICE Surge 8,000%, DHS Officials Warn of ‘Unprecedented’ Violence

The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday warned of an extraordinary spike in threats and violent targeting of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, saying death threats against ICE personnel have jumped roughly 8,000% as agents carry out the administration’s immigration enforcement operations, as reported by Fox News.

Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin described a pattern of escalating danger for frontline officers:

“From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence,” she said, in part.

McLaughlin said the surge has included direct offers of money for killings, explicit online doxxing, stalking of employees and threats aimed at officers’ families.

She also blamed what she called “sanctuary politicians” for contributing to the rise in hostility, asserting the tactics of some elected officials have helped foment violence.

McLaughlin said “sanctuary politicians” have contributed to the surge “through their repeated vilification and demonization tactics, including gross comparisons to the Nazi Gestapo.” She added that “this violence against law enforcement must end.”

DHS cited several recent incidents to illustrate the threat environment. In Dallas, investigators arrested Eduardo Aguilar, a Mexican national living in the U.S. illegally, after he allegedly posted a TikTok message offering $10,000 for the murder of an ICE agent.

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According to DHS, the post — written in Spanish — sought “10 dudes in Dallas with determination who aren’t afraid to [two skull emojis].”

In another Texas case, an ICE officer’s spouse reportedly received a voicemail that read, in part:

“I don’t know how you let your husband work for ICE, and you sleep at night. F**k you, f**k your family. I hope your kids get deported by accident. How do you sleep? F**k you. Did you hear what happened to the Nazis after World War II? Because it’s what’s going to happen to your family.”

DHS also pointed to threats in Washington state. Fox News Digital reported that a man identified as James Adrian Warren allegedly targeted the ICE office in Ferndale, posting online that officers were “Nazis” and “the Gestapo.”

Warren allegedly wrote: “They need to be told they are Nazis every day they come to work, they need to be reminded that they are Nazis every day when they go home. I start on my next day off, you should too.”

DHS said Warren also planned to watch, tail, record, and report employees to make “life harder for ICE here in Whatcom County.”

Officials emphasized that threats extend beyond insults to calls for violence and organized harassment. DHS said the agency has documented doxxing campaigns and coordinated efforts to intimidate officers both on duty and at home.

Citing Secretary Kristi Noem, DHS issued a blunt warning to would-be attackers and anyone who would abet them: “ICE and our federal law enforcement partners will continue to enforce the law.

And if you lay a hand on a law enforcement officer, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” DHS said, citing Noem.

The department said it is coordinating with federal, state, and local partners to investigate threats, protect personnel, and pursue prosecutions.

McLaughlin urged political leaders and the public to reject rhetoric that encourages violence and to recognize the personal risk law-enforcement officers face while performing their duties.

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