United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (nonfiction)
United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; pronounced "ice"ⓘ) is a federal law enforcement agency under the supervision of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Its stated mission is to conduct criminal investigations, enforce immigration laws, preserve national security, and protect public safety. Growing under the second Donald Trump administration, ICE has been accused of numerous civil rights abuses and becoming a tool of intimidation. The agency's "sweeping illegal immigration raids" are part of a crackdown against illegal immigration under the second Trump administration.
ICE was created as part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002, following the September 11 attacks. It absorbed the prior functions of the Immigration and Naturalization Service and the United States Customs Service. ICE has two primary and distinct law enforcement components, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), in addition to three supporting divisions: the Management and Program Administration, the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA), and the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).
ICE maintains domestic offices throughout the United States and detachments at major U.S. diplomatic missions overseas. ICE personnel (special agents and officers) do not patrol American borders; rather, that role is performed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Coast Guard. The acting director is Todd Lyons; the agency has not had a Senate-confirmed director since Sarah Saldaña stepped down on January 20, 2017.
ICE has been involved in multiple controversies over its existence, with significant increases in criticism during the first and especially the second administration of Donald Trump. Following the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in 2025, ICE became the largest and most well-funded federal law enforcement agency in U.S. history. Its aggressive enforcement actions, controversial publicity campaigns, and militarization resulted in significant drops of public support and raised concerns over a lack of accountability and civil rights violations. ICE agents are noted for wearing masks to protect their identity and using unmarked vehicles. The agency has been the subject of widespread protests particularly in 2018 and 2025, with some activists calling for its abolition.
DHS using white nationalist and anti-immigrant images and slogans
In some cases, the images and language appear to come directly from antisemitic and neo-Nazi publications and a white Christian nationalist website.
- DHS using white nationalist and anti-immigrant images and slogans in recruitment material @ Southern Poverty Law Center
- Post @ Bluesky (7 January 2026)
ICE Plans $100M “Wartime Recruitment” Aimed at Gun Enthusiasts, Military Fans
ICE Plans $100M “Wartime Recruitment” Aimed at Gun Enthusiasts, Military Fans
The ICE drive would use an ad-targeting technique called “geofencing” to send recruitment ads to users’ phone browsers.
By Brad Reed - CommonDreams - December 31, 2025
he Trump administration is planning a massive propaganda campaign aimed at recruiting thousands of new federal immigration enforcement officers to carry out its mass deportation agenda.
The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that it had obtained internal documents revealing that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is planning to spend $100 million over the next year on what the agency describes as a “wartime recruitment” drive.
The propaganda blitz will be targeted at highly specific demographics, including “people who have attended UFC fights, listened to patriotic podcasts, or shown an interest in guns and tactical gear,” according to the Post.
The ICE drive would also use an ad-targeting technique called “geofencing” to send recruitment ads to users’ phone browsers if they are in the vicinity of certain locations, such as military bases, NASCAR races, college campuses, and gun shows.
The ads being designed for the recruitment drive will be based around current appeals that depict joining ICE as part of a “sacred duty” to “defend the homeland” from “foreign invaders,” the Post reported.
- Post @ Bluesky (7 January 2026).
Drew Harwell
We got an internal ICE document revealing its $100 million ad plan to bring in 14,000 new hires: deals with "tactical" influencers; ads to gun & military buffs; and geo-targeting phones around NASCAR races and gun shows.
A "wartime recruitment" mode with paramilitary branding:
- Post @ Bluesky (31 December 2025)
Wartime recruitment
ICE Plans $100M “Wartime Recruitment” Aimed at Gun Enthusiasts, Military Fans
The ICE drive would use an ad-targeting technique called “geofencing” to send recruitment ads to users’ phone browsers.
- ICE Plans $100M “Wartime Recruitment” Aimed at Gun Enthusiasts, Military Fans @ Truthout (31 December 2025)
Sue Tincher
ICE arrests citizen observer Sue Tincher in Minneapolis, holds her for five hours, cuts off her wedding ring
Hashtags: #ICE #AmericanGestapo
- ICE arrests citizen observer in Minneapolis, holds her for five hours @ Sahan Journal - Federal immigration agents arrested a 55-year-old Minneapolis woman who was observing ICE activity in her neighborhood.
- Quote post @ Facebook
