Internal communications between Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials show that they were aware, just two months into President Donald Trump’s second administration, that reports of ICE officers using force had risen 353 percent compared to the previous year.
Long before the administration launched deadly immigration enforcement operations in Minnesota, ICE officials had reported 67 use-of-force incidents between January 19, 2025, and March 20, 2025, according to emails obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request by American Oversight.
Some of those reports included incidents of ICE officers using tasers, pepper spray and physical force to detain targeted individuals who were trying to evade or resist arrest. In some of those instances, detainees needed medical attention, including one where a man repeatedly vomited after being tased.
But rather than acknowledge the uptick in use-of-force incidents, ICE officials chose to highlight the 28 reported assaults on ICE officers – a 460 percent increase from the same period in 2024.
“Of note is the huge increase in [law enforcement officer] assaults,” a Firearms & Tactical Programs unit chief wrote in response to the numbers. The unit chief suggested finding a way to present some instances for prosecution.
“I know Charleston incorporated 18 USC 111 into prosecutions training a couple of years ago, they may be able to package up a summary of the needed elements of the crime, definitions of what constitutes assualt, etc with the intent of broadcasting to the workforce in an effort to drive more prosecutions for prosecution,” the unit chief wrote.
A DHS spokesperson defended the agency’s record when asked about it by The Independent.
“DHS law enforcement officers are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to deescalate dangerous situations to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers. Officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training. The agency’s current use of force policy is the same as it was in 2023 under President Biden’s administration,” they said.
DHS officials, including Secretary Kristi Noem and outgoing spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, have repeatedly emphasized the more than 1,000 percent increase in attacks on federal agents and officers when asked about the use of excessive force.
After federal agents fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Good in Minnesota, officials were quick to defend the agent who fired three shots into her vehicle, claiming it was done in an act of self-defense because Good was trying to run him over with her car. Videos of the incident painted a different picture.
Similarly, White House officials defended federal agents after they fatally shot 37-year-old Alex Pretti in Minnesota, asserting that he was a “domestic terrorist” trying to murder immigration enforcement. Again, videos of the encounter contradicted the narrative from administration officials.
Recently, a federal judge dropped charges against a Venezuelan man accused of assaulting ICE officers during an arrest after it was revealed that the federal immigration agents may have lied under oath about the events leading up to the incident.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Inspector General, the independent watchdog within the department, is investigating whether the agency has been addressing allegations of excessive force and holding personnel accountable.
ICE officers are trained to use “necessary and reasonable” force against protesters, even while being disruptive, by first trying to defuse the situation, according to documents obtained by American Oversight.
They are also taught to determine how much force to apply during an arrest based on the level of threat a suspect poses and how a reasonable person would interpret that use of force.
“An officer should use only the minimum amount of force necessary and reasonable to overcome resistance,” the Fourth Amendment training package states.
