Violent raids, deadly shootings, and even the arrest of a five-year-old boy. The world is criticizing the brutal tactics of American immigration agents from ICE.
You've probably heard about ICE agents recently. The media has spotlighted them, especially after two recent tragedies in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Federal immigration officers shot two American citizens – Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, sparking massive unrest in the city.
The aggressive arrests and violent incidents have escalated over the past year, thanks to the support of President Donald Trump's administration. In cities where these agents are most active, people are pushing back against their presence. There have been many instances where locals have refused to serve them at cafes or gas stations.
In this article, we explain what ICE units do, why their operations often turn violent, and what happens to the people they arrest. If you like our work, support us by joining the Refresher+ club.
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How long ICE has been around and what changed after Donald became president.
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Who can they arrest and under what circumstances.
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Why there are so many agents in democratic cities.
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How ICE operated under other presidents.
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Who can punish agents' misconduct.
What is ICE and when was it established?
ICE stands for Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It's an agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It was established in 2002 following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Since then, the agency has been arresting illegal immigrants and enforcing immigration and customs laws within the U.S.
ICE agents have been arresting and sending illegal immigrants home even during the administrations of previous presidents. However, Donald Trump promised his supporters a tougher stance on immigration. After taking office last January, he allocated a significant budget to expand ICE and its operations.
What powers does ICE have?
ICE describes its mission as preserving national and public security. However, the role of ICE agents differs from regular police. ICE officers can stop, arrest, and detain individuals they suspect are in the U.S. illegally.
In practice, agents often claim to have an ICE Agency arrest warrant when detaining people. To legally arrest someone, they need a court order. American media have reported dozens of such cases. During raids, agents have also detained many U.S. citizens, despite targeting migrants.
Arrests are often dramatic and violent. The use of force is regulated by the constitution, laws, and Homeland Security rules. Agents can use deadly force only if they are in immediate danger of life or health. In the cases of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, local authorities and external observers agreed after analyzing videos that the suspects posed no threat to the agents during arrest.
Where do ICE agents operate?
ICE agents operate throughout the United States, but are most concentrated in cities like Minneapolis–St. Paul (Minnesota), Los Angeles (California), Chicago (Illinois), and New York (New York).
There are several reasons why these cities. Apart from Minneapolis, they’re all large metropolises that attract illegal immigrants due to better job opportunities. They’re also democratic cities, and Trump assumes they are full of illegal immigrants. On a state level, California, Texas, and Florida have the most undocumented immigrants. Texas and Florida are Republican-dominated states.
Moreover, in cities with many ICE agents, local police often don't cooperate and refuse to arrest people for them. This leads to violent home raids and tough operations that make the units seem effective and uncompromising. Lastly, there are plenty of detention centers and immigration courts near big cities.
What happens to people arrested by ICE?
The post-arrest process isn't uniform. This causes fear, uncertainty, and often a loss of contact with family. If someone is arrested, they are checked out within the first few hours or days, and if there's no reason to detain them, they are released.
Most are taken to detention centers, possibly in another state, and often aren’t allowed to contact family. An immigration court process follows, where a judge can release the detainee pending trial – under certain conditions, of course.
If not released, they remain in custody awaiting their fate, typically deportation. Conditions in detention centers are harsh, and many people experience them who shouldn’t have to.
The case of a five-year-old boy
Apart from the shooting of two Americans, another case from Minnesota caught attention. ICE agents detained a father and his five-year-old son at their home after returning from school. Photos of little Liam Ramos wearing a hat with ears and a Spider-Man backpack went viral, sparking outrage.
The father and son are from Ecuador, and their asylum status is in process. Nonetheless, ICE agents took them to a detention center in Texas. They justified arresting the boy by claiming his father insisted on staying with him. Local authorities stated that another household member pleaded with them to leave the boy with them. A judge later ordered their release.
Why is ICE's work so violent?
ICE has been around for over twenty years, so why are we hearing about it now? Agents arrested and deported people even under Obama and Biden. The former head of the agency says that back then, agents prioritized the "worst" individuals – genuinely dangerous people, criminals, or drug dealers. Operations were meticulously planned and executed quietly.
Now, Donald Trump is pushing ICE to show activity – in other words, meet quotas. As a result, they are often aggressive, arresting "ordinary" people with no criminal records who pose no threat to the U.S. A third of all detainees fit this category.
To work with such scope and force, the agency needs more people. Previously, prospective ICE employees had to undergo a 22-week training, but now only eight weeks are required. They also removed the mandatory five-week Spanish course and offer generous bonuses to recruit new employees.
Who are agents accountable to?
Officially, an inspector from the Department of Homeland Security oversees ICE agents' work, investigating any misconduct. But this doesn't seem to happen in practice. After the shooting of Renee Nicole Good, U.S. Vice President JD Vance emphasized that ICE agents have absolute immunity – meaning they can't be convicted of crimes.
State prosecutors can charge them with crimes, but cases going to federal court benefit the agents since they are federal employees with immunity. Punishing ICE agents for misconduct is currently nearly impossible.
