ICE agents

Latinxs in <i>La Migra</i> : Why They Join and Why It Matters

Once an exclusively white enterprise, the last forty-five years have witnessed the emergence of a disproportionately Latinx immigration law enforcement workforce. This article addresses the question of why Latinxs elect to work for agencies that have systematically targeted the ethnic communities to which they belong. Where existing scholarship has often implied Latinxs may self-select into immigration law enforcement due to a lack of identification with the immigrant-experience, a dissociation with ethnic identity, and generally restrictionist immigration attitudes, this article finds little empirical evidence to support such an assumption. Analysis of interviews with sixty-one Latinx Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents across Arizona, California, and Texas reveals, instead, Latinxs elect to work in immigration law enforcement in service of economic self-interest and survival, with “money,” “a good job,” and “benefits” cited as the primary motivation(s) behind applying for and accepting a job in immigration. This pattern holds irrespective of individual agents’ levels of identification with the immigrant-experience and particular attitudes toward immigration, and suggests a diversity in the demographics of immigration law enforcement agencies that extends beyond mere race and ethnicity, to include a diversity of perspective and potential for empathy.

Cuántos agentes hispanos trabajan para ICE y otros 5 datos que no sabías de esta agencia

El personal del Servicio de Inmigración y Aduanas está conformado por más de 4,200 latinos, quienes conforman el 21.5% del total. Mientras sus jefes aplauden que puedan comunicarse en español con los detenidos y sus familias, la comunidad les reprocha que estén deportando a personas de su propia etnia.

New Study Explores Why US Latinos Join ICE and Border Patrol - Latino Rebels

A new study found that most of the agents joined because they wanted a stable job, and didn’t see many other ways of getting one.

I asked Latinos why they joined immigration law enforcement. Now I'm urging them to leave.

Latinos make up half of American Border Patrol agents. But it's not self-hatred driving them to work for agencies deporting their communities.

Why do Latinos join ICE? : Code Switch

Latinos make up at least 50% of all Customs and Border Patrol agents and 20% of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents — which has a lot of critics asking, why? We talk to Geraldo Cadava, professor of Latino Studies at Northwestern and contributor to the Atlantic, to break down some of the reasons Latinos join ICE, and he tells us, there are many people who believe in the mission of immigration enforcement.

When Pedro Arrests Juan: Why Latinos Join Border Patrol and ICE  ~ L.A. TACO

Many Latino families inherited the same lesson generation after generation: When society views you as foreign, proving your Americanness can become its own form of survival.

Why Latinos Join ICE

One reason: They’re aiming to protect, not betray, their communities.

DHS deploys white nationalist, anti-immigrant graphics to recruit

The Department of Homeland Security’s deportation efforts under Trump have energized and validated some hate groups.

Immigration agents used racial slurs during LA sweeps, court records show

Records released as part of a lawsuit challenging racial profiling show that immigration agents used slurs to refer to Latino targets.

Amid a big hiring push, police experts question ICE officer vetting

The recent fatal shootings by ICE officers in Texas and Maine come at a time when the federal agency has hired a huge number of officers quickly. Some law enforcement experts worry that this kind of a hiring spree can lead police agencies to cut corners in vetting new hires.

ICE violence against women is largely untracked. One advocacy group is working to change that.

Immigration agents with prior records of sexual and gender-based violence have drawn attention in Trump’s second term amid questions about training and vetting.

The Sex Criminals and Child Abusers of ICE and CBP

Rape. Domestic violence. Epstein friendship. It's all tolerated by our valiant homeland-security apparatus. PLUS: COINTELPRO 2026

Worst of the Worst - 152 Criminal ICE and Border Agents — Ohio Immigrant Alliance

Video recording, final report, data, and other content from the release of OIA’s new report, “The Worst of the Worst: 152 Sexually and Physically Abusive ICE and Border Agents; Implications for U.S. Communities and Actions Needed from Congress.”

They Walk Among Us - Criminal ICE and Border Agents — Ohio Immigrant Alliance

The Ohio Immigrant Alliance released “They Walk Among Us: A List of 59 Sexually and Physically Abusive ICE and Border Agents,” an analysis of sexual and violent crimes committed by ICE and Border Patrol agents. It report documents 59 cases of violent and/or sexual criminal acts by DHS employees.

Exclusive: ICE agents investigated for sexual assault, bribery, drug smuggling

Records obtained by Newsweek reveal 148 allegations of misconduct and potential crimes.

Biddeford shooting renews questions about ICE tactics, training

A review of previous Maine cases show how investigations into use of force often lean heavily on officers’ perception of potential harm.

ICE went on a hiring spree. Sterling credentials were not required, AP investigation finds

Some new U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers started working before passing background checks and had problems in their past.

You’ve Heard About Who ICE Is Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I’m the Proof.

What happens when you do minimal screening before hiring agents, arming them, and sending them into the streets? We're all finding out.

ICE Skipped Basic Checks in Rush for Recruits, Whistle-Blower Says

An official who oversaw the vetting of ICE recruits cited an “unprecedented lowering of standards” amid a hiring surge.