The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released data indicating a notable escalation in vehicular assaults on federal immigration officers. From January 21, 2025, to January 24, 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel have been the targets of 182 vehicular attacks during enforcement operations—a marked increase from previous years.
According to DHS officials, these incidents are part of a worrying trend of aggression towards law enforcement agents. The data shows ICE officers faced 68 vehicle-related assaults, a significant rise from just two in the previous year. Similarly, CBP agents encountered 114 such incidents, more than double the number recorded in the prior year.
Assistant Secretary of DHS, Tricia McLaughlin, has attributed this uptick in violence to sanctuary-style policies and certain political rhetoric, which she believes emboldens individuals to resist federal enforcement actively. McLaughlin's statement highlighted the negative portrayal of ICE in some political discourse, linking it to historical institutions associated with oppression, which she argues has incited violence against officers.
The threat to officers extends beyond vehicular attacks. DHS reports physical assaults increased by more than 1,300 percent, and documented death threats surged by approximately 8,000 percent since the beginning of President Donald Trump's current term. Federal agents continue to face these increased risks while apprehending suspects involved in serious criminal activities, including violent felonies and organized gang activities.
Incidents demonstrating the heightened risk have occurred across the country. For example, in June 2025, Border Patrol vehicles were targeted in Bell and Maywood, California. Suspects in Colorado Springs and San Bernardino have directly endangered officers' lives, with one case leading to federal intervention after local authorities initially released the suspect involved in an assault on two CBP officers.
The DHS has also highlighted the complications of enforcing laws in areas influenced by sanctuary policies, pointing to additional assaults in states such as Florida, Arizona, and Illinois. In these confrontations, officers were either struck by vehicles or compelled to use their weapons in self-defense.
In a recent incident in Portland, suspected associates of the Tren de Aragua gang allegedly used a vehicle as a weapon against Border Patrol agents, leading to an agent discharging his weapon in self-defense and both suspects being hospitalized.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has assured that the rise in attacks will not deter federal enforcement efforts. She has emphasized that any assault on law enforcement officers will be met with full prosecution and that DHS and its partners are committed to continuing their operations despite the challenges posed by an increasingly volatile security environment.
