ICE assaults spike over 1,300% as Dems draw hard red line to unmask agents in DHS battle

Senior officials defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by federal immigration enforcement officers, citing a sharp increase in assaults and violent threats against agents amid the administrations hard-line immigration crackdown.  

White House border czar Tom Homan on Sunday defended the use of masks and other facial coverings by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers as necessary to protect agents from a rise in assaults and violent threats reported by the Department of Homeland Security.

“I don’t like the masks, either,” Homan said in an interview Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” Still, he said, “these men and women have to protect themselves.”

A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital that ICE officers are “facing a coordinated campaign of violence against them,” including “a 1,300% increase in assaults against them, [an] 8,000% increase in death threats, and a 3,200% increase in vehicle attacks.” 

A DHS spokesperson listed notable examples of the assaults on ICE officers, providing photos and dates of specific vehicular assaults and attempted assaults on federal agents.

DHS cited instances including a sniper in Dallas, Texas, who fired “indiscriminately” into an ICE facility with shell casings inscribed with anti-ICE messages. Most recently, an HSI agent in Minneapolis had his finger bitten off by an agitator  during “Operation Metro Surge.”

“He will lose his finger,” DHS told Fox News Digital, sharing a photo of the agent’s finger, and his hand, after the incident. 

Democrats in Congress have sharply criticized ICE agents actions in recent months, including the deployment of officers to major U.S. cities — Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis — as part of Trumps broader immigration enforcement effort. 

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries urged Republicans earlier this month to order the unmasking of ICE agents, describing the step as one of many “guardrails” needed to protect the public and earn their support in resolving the DHS shutdown. 

Jeffries last week told reporters in the Capitol that unmasking federal agents is a “hard red line” for Democrats as Congress debated funding for DHS and ultimately failed to come to an agreement, the Associated Press reported. 

The Trump administration has cited concerns about the number and severity of threats against ICE officers and has vowed to aggressively prosecute individuals who target agents or solicit violence.

On CBS News, Homan pointed to DHS reports from January citing a “1,500% increase” in assaults against ICE personnel. Violent threats against ICE officers have also soared by a staggering 8,000%, according to data shared by the Department of Homeland Security in October. DHS said in a Jan. 26 news release that assaults against ICE officers had increased by more than 1,300%. 

The release from DHS ticked through a number of violent threats that have been made against ICE personnel and their family members, including a voicemail left for the spouse of a Texas-based immigration officer.

“I dont know how you let your husband work for ICE, and you sleep at night … I hope your kids get deported by accident,” the voicemail said. “How do you sleep? …. Did you hear what happen