Is violence against ICE agents in the US increasing?published at 16:05 BST
16:05 BST
By Lucy Gilder
In
a post on X, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in response to the
shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas that: “Our ICE law enforcement is facing
unprecedented violence against them”.
Noem
and other White House officials have repeatedly talked about an uptick in
violence against ICE agents, citing big percentage increases.
The
current figure put out by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a 1,000%
rise in assaults. It says these assaults have included , external“vehicles being used as
weapons towards them, and doxing campaigns targeting federal officers and their
families.”
When
I asked the agency for the actual numbers behind this rise, it responded: “Our
brave ICE law enforcement are now facing a 1,000% increase in assaults against
them as they risk their lives to arrest the worst of the worst criminal illegal
aliens. These acts of violence are fueled by sanctuary politicians’ rhetoric
vilifying our law enforcement.”
Earlier
this year, DHS said assaults were up 700%, but according to a Fox News report, external
from July the actual numbers behind this rise were relatively small.
“DHS
recorded 10 assault events from Jan. 21, 2024, to June 30, 2024. From the day
after President Donald Trump took office earlier this year [January 2025] until
Monday, the department recorded 79 assault events, representing a 690% increase
year over year,“ it said.