FBI told to stop probing ICE shootings as DOJ denies any policy change: Report

WASHINGTON, DC: Federal agents have reportedly been told the FBI will no longer investigate shootings involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, even as the Justice Department publicly denied that any policy change has taken place.

The reported directive has created a sharp contradiction between what officials were allegedly told internally and what the administration said publicly. It also comes after two fatal ICE shootings in Texas and Maine drew renewed scrutiny of the agency's use of force.

DOJ disputes reported FBI directive

According to a New York Times report, published Sunday, July 19, FBI managers across the country received written notice on Thursday informing them that the bureau would no longer investigate claims of assaults against Department of Homeland Security agents.

People familiar with the decision, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said some ICE agents were also informed of the change by FBI counterparts, the report stated.

The report said such investigations are intended to determine whether DHS agents were attacked, but they can also uncover evidence implicating those agents in violent encounters.

The Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, however, rejected the report in a joint statement.

"The relationship between DHS and DOJ in investigating assault on federal officer cases has not changed, and FBI will continue to investigate in accordance with agency policy," the statement said.

It added, "This administration has been clear, anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

HSI could take over ICE shooting probes

Guidance circulated among FBI and ICE agents reportedly indicated that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), an arm of ICE, would likely handle investigations involving officers from the same agency if the change were implemented, the Independent reported on Monday.

The reported shift follows two fatal shootings involving ICE agents in Texas and Maine over the past two weeks, incidents that have intensified public attention on the agency's practices.

Over the past year, as opposition to the Trump administration's immigration crackdown has grown, White House and Justice Department officials have urged prosecutors to pursue as many assault-on-federal-officer cases as possible.

Federal law allows felony charges against anyone who "forcibly assaults, resists, opposes, impedes, intimidates or interferes" with a federal law enforcement officer.

Trump officials push aggressive assault prosecutions

Trump administration officials have argued that anyone who makes physical contact with a federal agent should face felony assault charges, an offense punishable by up to eight years in prison, as per the Independent report.

"It's abhorrent to ever, ever touch a law enforcement officer, which is why anytime anybody does that, and it's a federal officer, we'll prosecute them," acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN in May.

The report by The New York Times also noted that public concern has grown over deaths in ICE custody.

According to Human Rights Watch, 52 people have died in ICE custody during the first 500 days of Trump's second administration, with the deadliest month before January 2025 having been exceeded five times since Trump returned to office.