Democrats press ICE on oversight, say 1 officer referred for discipline
over use of force
[July 23, 2026]
By REBECCA SANTANA
WASHINGTON (AP) — One Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer has
been referred for discipline over a use-of-force incident since the
beginning of the Trump administration, said Democratic members of the
House Homeland Security Committee after a briefing with ICE officials
Wednesday about body cameras, vehicle stops and training.
The closed-door briefing for committee members comes in the wake of two
shootings in which ICE officers shot and killed two immigrants that they
were trying to arrest, raising concerns over the agency's tactics at a
time that it is ratcheting up its arrests.
The shootings in Maine and Houston over the span of a week have led to
fierce criticism that there's not enough oversight of the agency key to
President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda. At least 10 people
have died in encounters with immigration agents since Trump launched the
crackdown after retaking office, and in the Maine shooting, family
members of the ICE officer who opened fire say he had a history of
violent behavior and never should have been given a badge and gun.
Rep. Seth Magaziner, a Democrat from Rhode Island, said they were told
during the briefing that there have been 56 complaints of excessive
force against ICE officers; 32 were cleared, and one was referred for
disciplinary action. Magaziner said they were told no discipline had yet
been handed out. The rest of the incidents are still under
investigation, he said.
“It just defies belief that an agency of 20,000-plus officers with all
of the chaos that we’ve seen over the last year and a half through the
surges and civilians being injured and killed, that no one would be
found to have violated use of force with the exception of possibly one
person,” Magaziner said.
Homeland Security said in a statement Wednesday that ICE officers who
violate the agency's policies are held accountable, their officers are
trained in de-escalation tactics and take an annual refresher course on
use of force policies. The agency also defended its officers, saying
they are operating in an environment where they are constantly being
attacked.
“When faced with dangerous circumstances, DHS law enforcement
professionals have used their training to protect themselves, their
fellow officers, and the public,” the agency said.
The use-of -force numbers mark an increase since February, when
then-acting director Todd Lyons said during Senate testimony that ICE
had opened 37 investigations for excessive force; 18 of those were
closed, 19 were still pending, and one was referred for “further
action,” Lyons said.
The ranking Democrat on the committee, Rep. Bennie Thompson of
Mississippi, said the ICE officials could not discuss the shootings in
Maine or Houston, as those are both open investigations. Thompson, who
said he came away with more questions than answers from the briefing,
said he wanted to know who investigates use of force incidents:
“Sometimes they said the FBI, sometimes they said HSI. Sometimes they
said another entity.”
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Notes of community support and sorrow are hung from a fence during a
vigil for Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero, a Colombian national who
was shot and killed by an ICE agent, Friday, July 17, 2026, in
Biddeford, Maine. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
The officials said they were going to retrain officers who had gone
through a shorter curriculum that was in place last fall, Thompson
said. In June, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the
agency would be increasing the amount of training for new officers
starting this month.
Thompson said he pressed for answers about how many officers had
been brought back for retraining and how they're being retrained but
couldn't get any clarity.
Thompson said he and the committee chair, Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y.,
will follow up with ICE with a list of questions.
Garbarino said he appreciated ICE briefing the members.
“Today was an important opportunity for Members to receive timely
answers on the status of body camera deployment for law enforcement
in the field, training and vetting standards and requirements, and
current guidance on the use of vehicle stops as part of immigration
enforcement,” Garbarino said in a statement.
When it comes to vehicle stops, Magaziner said they were told that
current guidance to ICE officers is to only do them when there’s no
other alternative, and they’re supposed to use lights and sirens.
But, Magaziner said, that guidance has only been passed along
verbally to the staff as opposed to a written directive.
Both the shootings in Maine and Houston involved shootings of
immigrants who were in moving vehicles, raising questions about
ICE’s training and policies surrounding how it tries to apprehend
people when they’re driving.
After the Maine killing, Trump administration officials told ICE
officers to suspend most vehicle stops. But the next day, Trump
announced on social media that he wanted ICE to keep doing them.
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