DHS Reports 1,600% Rise in Assaults on ICE, Calls on Sanctuary Politicians to Stop 'Violent Rhetoric'

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is calling on sanctuary politicians across the country to stop using what it describes as hateful and violent rhetoric against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, citing a more than 1,600% increase in assaults against ICE officials.

According to the latest data released by DHS, there were 647 assaults against ICE between January 20, 2025, and September 20, 2026, compared with 37 under the Biden administration between January 20, 2021, and September 20, 2022. DHS said this marks an increase of 1,649%.

"The brave men and women of ICE, who are simply enforcing the laws mandated by Congress and protecting the American people, are under attack every single day. Since President Trump unleashed ICE to do their jobs, assaults against them have risen by more than 1,600% in the first year and a half of the administration," said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. "This is the result of the vicious lies being spread by sanctuary politicians and their foot soldiers who are involved in anti-ICE riots and other acts of violence. DHS is calling on these sanctuary politicians to stop attacking federal law enforcement, stop putting the needs of illegal aliens ahead of the safety of American citizens, and to start working with us to make America safe again."

DHS listed examples of rhetoric it attributed to sanctuary politicians, including Representative Greg Casar, who said "we will all be more safe when ICE gets the hell out of Austin, Texas," and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who compared ICE to a "modern-day Gestapo." It also cited Representative Jasmine Crockett comparing ICE to "slave patrols," Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker claiming the United States is "essentially" becoming Nazi Germany because of ICE's efforts, and Representative John Larson calling ICE law enforcement officers "the SS" and "the Gestapo."

The release also detailed violence against ICE personnel. In January 2026, DHS said three rioters attacked an ICE Homeland Security Investigations agent in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with one biting off one of his fingers. In November 2025, it said a pedophile and illegal alien struck an ICE officer in the face with a metal coffee cup in Houston, Texas, causing a laceration that required 13 stitches. In July 2025, DHS said a group opened fire on ICE officers at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, wounding a police officer; eight suspects were convicted in March 2026 and sentenced in June 2026 to terms ranging from 30 to 100 years.

DHS also cited the September 2025 sniper attack on the Dallas ICE facility, which killed two detainees and injured a third, and the October 2025 arrest of Eduardo Aguilar, an illegal alien from Mexico residing in Dallas, who allegedly posted on TikTok offering "10K for each ICE agent."