EXCLUSIVE: DHS Secretary Mullin slams sanctuary politicians as attacks on ICE officers skyrocket

FIRST ON FOX: Assaults against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers have steadily increased in recent months by 1,649% with many incidents fueled by opposition to the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

There were 647 assaults against ICE personnel from Jan. 20, 2025, through Sept. 20, 2026, compared to just 37 under the Biden administration from Jan. 20, 2021, to Sept. 20, 2022, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

“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.

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Mullin blamed the backlash against ICE on “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,” he added.

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DHS cited examples of mainly Democratic elected officials accusing ICE of terrorizing communities and threatening public safety despite the agency arresting many individuals with criminal records that include convictions for murder, child sex crimes, terrorism and drug trafficking, among others.

Some congressional lawmakers have called for the abolition of the agency, while others have compared ICE to “the SS” and “the Gestapo,” the two primary and most feared instruments of terror, surveillance and control in Nazi Germany. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, likened the agency to “slave patrols” that were “disappearing people based on their skin color.”

In addition, some anti-ICE protesters have brandished weapons at officers, made threats, thrown objects and impeded law enforcement operations, DHS said. In October 2025, Eduardo Aguilar, an illegal immigrant from Mexico living in Dallas, Texas, was arrested after allegedly posting a video on TikTok in Spanish soliciting the murder of ICE personnel.

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In July 2025, a group of anti-ICE protesters opened fire on ICE officers at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, wounding a law enforcement officer. Eight suspects tied to that case were sentenced in June to prison terms ranging from 30 to 100 years.

In June 2025, Gabriel Hurtado-Cariaco, a member of the Tren de Aragua gang in Bellevue, Nebraska, was accused of throwing an ICE agent to the ground, slamming her head into the pavement, ripping off her body armor and making repeated physical violent contact during an attempted arrest, authorities said.

The agent sustained serious injuries to her head and arm and was taken to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for treatment. Hurtado-Cariaco was charged with attempted murder.

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Others have allegedly attacked ICE officers with rocks, Molotov cocktails and various other objects, officials said.

The backlash against ICE has intensified amid the Trump administration’s targeting of illegal immigrants with criminal records and those with final removal orders.

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Many Democratic-run jurisdictions have beefed up their sanctuary policies to prevent cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities.