ICE tactics are becoming more violent and hostile.

Question

The claim that ICE tactics are becoming more violent and hostile is true. The Trump administration has implemented a new policy creating a task force that are "allowed" to forcibly remove non-U.S. citizens that currently live in America. ICE has grown to be wildly unpopular due to the violent ways that they "deescalate" situations. In a recent poll from YouGov - Yahoo! it was reported that 56% of Americans do not approve of ICE, which has risen by 13% since the initial creation in January of 2025. 

There has been overwhelming video evidence that has been shared by sources, such as CNN and NPR that display these violent tendencies that ICE constantly portrays. For example, NPR reported that ICE recently shot a man in the head with a pepper ball, essentially a bullet with pepper spray inside that detonates on contact, during a protest outside of an ICE headquarters. In the first nine months that ICE has been active it has been recorded that they have wrongfully held 170 individuals against their will. In another case, ICE agents tackled a 79 year old forcing their knees to touch the back of their head (OPB). In an interview with CNN, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said “They are the ones that are making it a war zone... They fire tear gas and smoke grenades, and they make it look like it’s a war zone.” In the interview Pritzker states that ICE has been randomly selects anyone of color in downtown Chicago and detaining these individuals til they could prove their citizenship. 

The Herman Legal Group states that "aggression" in legal terms is defined as tactical aggression, operational aggression, and legal aggression. Each of these aspects are something that ICE checks the box of. Tactical aggression: ICE uses SWAT style equipment for crowd and riot control. Operational aggression: ICE has arrest quotas and use mass sweep tactics to arrest mass amounts of people before having physical proof. Legal Aggression: ICE oftentimes breaks detention requirements, wrongfully holding individuals. 

Answer 1

The claim that ICE tactics are becoming more violent and hostile is true. There have been multiple instances of unnecessary violence being used during raids, arrests, and during protests. One video was filmed by a photographer in Hyattsville, Maryland, and shows a man being pinned to the ground by two ICE officers. He pleads for bystanders to help him. One of the officers ended up dropping his gun, fumbling for it on the ground. He eventually grabbed hold of it and pointed it at the bystanders. To clear up this misunderstanding, Emily Covington, an assistant director in ICE’s Office of Public Affairs, told NPR that drawing a weapon can be used to de-escalate the situation. 

Another video shows a man, Presbyterian Pastor David Black, outside an ICE facility getting shot in the head with a pepper ball, which is a projectile filled with chemical irritants. He has since sued the Trump administration. In one instance in Chicago, agents used unmarked trucks and a helicopter to surround a five-story apartment building in the South Side. Agents rappelled from Black Hawk helicopters and went door to door, waking up residents and restraining them with zip ties. Residents and the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights said that those who were zip-tied included children and US citizens. Dixon Romeo, who’s a part of an organization that has been helping the residents, said doors were knocked off the hinges. “Everyone we talked to didn’t feel safe. This is not normal. It’s not okay. It’s not right,” Romeo stated. 

According to Politico, former acting ICE director John Sandweg argued that most ICE agents treat people with dignity, but he also noted that the Trump administration has revved up the agency’s raid operation strategy. ICE agents have been under a lot of pressure to get the number of arrests up. They’ve been forced to adapt to some of the more aggressive tactics because the Trump administration seems more focused on quantity rather than the quality of arrests. “What we’re seeing is a general escalation of violence and the use of excessive force by ICE officers,” says Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy at the ACLU of Illinois. Former Seattle police chief and police commissioner, Kerlikowske, said that good policing in cities relies on de-escalation, trust, and cooperation from the public. “The show of force federal agents are using in Chicago and elsewhere is unnecessary,” said Kelikowske.

NPR https://www.npr.org/2025/10/13/nx-s1-5566785/ice-dhs-immigration-tactics-more-violent

NBC Washington https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/prince-georges-county/video-officer-gun-ice-arrest/3993797/

Politico https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/10/14/former-ice-director-q-a-00603916

PBS https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/immigration-agents-become-increasingly-aggressive-in-chicago

Answer 2

As I looked deeper there was a very detailed description that had a video, from Broadview, Ill., near Chicago, appears to show a man outside an ICE facility getting shot in the head with a pepper ball, a projectile filled with chemical irritants Also there was another photo by NPR.org filmed by a photographer in Hyattsville, Md., shows a man pinned to the ground by two ICE officers. He pleads in Spanish and English for someone to help him. Based on these two statements there is overwhelming evidence that this is true and that these people who are suffering are being treated unfairly. These people are just trying to live their lives and they are getting abused.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/immigration-agents-become-increasingly-aggressive-in-chicago

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/23/nx-s1-5538090/ice-detention-custody-immigration-arrest-enforcement-dhs-trump

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-10-23/ice-raids-dangerous

Answer 3

This claim portrays to be true. In an article by Politico it talked about how a masked ICE agent shot a pepper ball at the head of a Presbyterian pastor as he was praying outside an ICE facility. This a clear act of unnecessary violence towards peaceful civilians. In the same article a former acting ICE director noted "the Trump administration has revved up the agency's raid strategy, leading to broad and indiscriminate sweeps to maximize arrests-- regardless of people's criminal record." This is another form of proof that ICE tactics are becoming more violent and hostile. 

Also from PBS they stated how "the use of chemical agents has become more frequent and visible in the past week. Used initially to manage protesters, agents used it this week on city streets and during immigration operations, according to ICIRR." This statement shows that ICE agents are using unnecessary force and violence towards people who are protesting against them. Overall I would say this statement is true especially when everyday more reports and evidence comes in, claiming how violent and hostile ICE is becoming.

Answer 4

The claim that ICE tactics are becoming more violent and hostile is true. In an interview by CBC Miami with John Sandweg, the former acting director of ICE under the Obama presidency, ICE’s new tactics are designed to further increase arrests rather than fight criminality itself. An effort to increase arrests has led to an increase of violent tactics as shown in videos shared by MSNBC, CBC, and CNN.

In a video shared by NPR, several ICE officers subdue a man by pinning him to the ground. During the scuffle, one ICE officer drops his firearm, which he proceeds to aim towards bystanders. In another video shared by NPR, one ICE member can be seen firing a pepperball into a man’s head during a protest outside of an ICE holding facility. These incidents show a widespread issue of ICE’s increasingly hostile tactics towards both bystanders and apprehended individuals.

NPR has been accused of a more liberal-leaning bias, yet the videos still show ICE officers escalating situations.

Comments

Please add in URL links for your sources next time. Thanks!

Answer 5

I researched whether ICE has recently increased its use of violence or changed its tactics under a new policy. I reviewed the article from NPR titled “Tackles, projectiles and gunfire: Many fear ICE tactics are growing more violent” published on October 13, 2025. The article reports that ICE has been using more aggressive tactics, like masked officers in unmarked vehicles and physical restraint during arrests, which has drawn criticism from civil rights groups and local officials. However, the article does not mention any new task force or policy allowing forcible removal of non U.S. citizens. Overall, the claim is partially true. ICE tactics have become more aggressive, but the details about new policies and exact numbers are misleading or unverified.

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/13/nx-s1-5566785/ice-dhs-immigration-tactics-more-violent

Answer 6

With more and more arrests and deportations happening in the world around us, multiple videos of ICE agents being violent with these arrests have surfaced, leading to the question, Are ICE agents becoming more violent and hostile? as reported by PBS, a recent bust in Chicago had agents "rappelled from black hawk helicopters" and fired "tear gas and smoke bombs to make it seem like a warzone." This report proves that ICE agents are using tactics that are unnecessary for the objective that they are given, as well as making a scene for their actions. 

To add to the claim that ICE agents have become more violent, an LA Times article describes an incident in which an ICE agent opened fire on a Mexican immigrant attempting to flee from the agents after they trapped his car. Fortunately, the injuries weren't lethal; however, this displays a lack of consideration for human rights, as well as violent efforts being made for an issue that is systematically wrong. 

Sources: 

https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2025-10-23/ice-raids-dangerous

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/immigration-agents-become-increasingly-aggressive-in-chicago

Answer 7

The claim that ICE tactics are becoming more violent, and Hostile is true. There are citations included such as an article by NPR, where there are several altercations involving ICE being violent for no reason at all. An example included in the article is included with a video of a pastor being shot in the head with a pepper ball while he was just peacefully protesting. The pastor has now sued the Trump Administration for this. The article includes more examples of how badly ICE is treating those who are innocent. Another example is that a CBS reporter said a masked ICE agent fired a pepper ball at her car which caused her to vomit for hours. NPR is a well-known reliable source which allows for claims to be true. The claim also includes a source from Herman Legal Group, which is an article written by Richard Herman who is a nationally recognized immigration lawyer and founder of the Herman Legal Group, so this source is considered reliable. Overall, there are many examples included in the sources provided that make the claim come true. There is a lot of evidence to prove this and as well as credible sources to check.  

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/13/nx-s1-5566785/ice-dhs-immigration-tactics-more-violent

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/05/politics/video/governor-jb-pritzker-on-chicago-ice-raids-and-immigration-crackdown

https://www.lawfirm4immigrants.com/why-is-ice-so-aggressive-and-militaristic/

Answer 8

POLITICO, an American political journalism organization that claims to be nonpartisan, reported several incidents involving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. In one case, a masked ICE agent allegedly shot a pepper ball into the head of a Presbyterian pastor who was praying outside an ICE facility. Another ICE agent reportedly shot a Mexican immigrant in Illinois. In a separate incident, an ICE officer forcibly shoved a woman to the ground outside an immigration court and was subsequently removed from duty. Furthermore, ICE agents conducted a military-style raid on a South Side Chicago apartment building, detaining hundreds of residents.

These incidents support the claim that ICE tactics have become increasingly violent and hostile. 

On the other hand, violent threats against ICE officers have also increased. According to Homeland Security, an official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS),

ICE law enforcement officers have faced an 8,000% increase in death threats.

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/10/14/former-ice-director-q-a-00603916

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2025/10/30/8000-increase-death-threats-against-ice-law-enforcement-they-risk-their-lives

Answer 9

The claim that ICE tactics are becoming more violent and hostile is undeniably true. With the recent (January) incidents in Minneapolis, US citizens are becoming more skeptical about the federal immigration officer's training, protocols, and violent treatment of immigrants. A recent finding from NPR discusses the murder of Renee Macklin Good, who was a United States Citizen. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the primary purpose of ICE is to control immigration enforcement and combat the illegal movement of people and goods. With that being said, the blatant murder of a US citizen proves the claim that ICE is becoming more violent, with the story of Renee Good showing the organization's deliberate disregard of official policies. As mentioned in the NPR article, the ICE official handbook declares that officers are not permitted to shoot into vehicles or step in front of them, which was specifically ignored by the officer responsible for Good's murder, emphasizing the organization's thirst for violence and power. Finally, I would like to mention the recent treatment of children by ICE. Specifically, Liam Ramos, a five year old boy who was abducted by the organization in late January. A small child, clearly convicted of no crimes was being held in a prison for the simple reason that his family comes from a place different than America. The Guardian describes the actions of ICE as "sickening", and questions the human decency of the organization as a whole. 

Source List:

https://www.npr.org/2026/01/16/nx-s1-5675286/violent-incidents-involving-ice-raise-questions-about-their-training-and-use-of-force

https://www.dhs.gov/topics/immigration-and-customs-enforcement#:~:text=DHS's%20Immigration%20and%20Customs%20Enforcement,movement%20of%20people%20and%20goods.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/feb/02/liam-ramos-horrific-ice-detention-outrage

Answer 10

There is evidence from multiple credible sources that tactics used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and related federal immigration enforcement agents have drawn serious concern for being more forceful and hostile in recent years, especially as enforcement has intensified. Journalists, civil rights groups, and legal observers have reported numerous protests and legal challenges over what they describe as aggressive tactics, including the use of pepper balls, tear gas, projectiles, and other forceful measures against demonstrators and civilians during immigration operations and protests. Local reporting documented cases where ICE agents’ actions, such as shooting a pepper ball that hit a reporter and other instances of force at protests near ICE facilities, raised questions about escalation in how force is applied compared with past enforcement practices, and civil liberties advocates have called some of these actions excessive (opb.org).

There have also been public responses and legal actions. Civil rights groups filed a lawsuit over ICE’s policy of entering homes without judicial warrants, which critics say could lead to more confrontational encounters, and judges have placed temporary limits on the use of chemical agents after reports of force against protesters, including elderly civilians and journalists (apnews.com).

At the same time, available data on assaults against ICE agents is mixed. Federal reports of sharp percentage increases have been cited, but analyses of court records show that those percentage increases come from relatively small absolute numbers, making it difficult to assess whether overall violence is rising across all enforcement contexts (cpr.org).

Overall, credible reporting and legal developments show that there is increased scrutiny and concern about ICE’s enforcement tactics and their potential for violence or hostility in specific operations, but broader national data on trends in violence are still incomplete and contested.