Targeting the Badge: Inside the Alarming Rise of Attacks on ICE Agents
It was supposed to be another routine enforcement sweep — methodical planning, silent radio chatter, and the quiet vigilance that comes with walking into unpredictable streets.
But behind the doors of federal command centers, a different picture has been forming — one that officials say is far more dangerous than the day-to-day risks of the job.
Over recent months, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers have found themselves in the crosshairs of a troubling trend: deliberate, often aggressive attacks aimed at disrupting and intimidating federal immigration enforcement.
From spit-laced confrontations to full-scale assaults with makeshift weapons, the violence is no longer seen as sporadic — some insiders now warn it’s beginning to look organized.
And the federal response is no longer subtle.
Arrests Send a Message
Last week in Los Angeles, Gregory K. Bovino — Commander of Operation At Large California and Chief of the El Centro Border Patrol Sector — confirmed the arrest of a U.S. citizen accused of spitting on federal agents during a deportation operation.
Video posted on X (formerly Twitter) shows BORTAC — the Border Patrol’s elite tactical unit — entering a business and taking the suspect into custody. The man wore an anti-ICE T-shirt.
“This U.S. citizen is accused of assaulting a federal agent by spitting on him during an immigration arrest under Operation At Large,” Bovino said. “California may coddle criminals, but we don’t. If you assault a federal agent, you face federal consequences. When talking to federal law enforcement, say it — don’t spray it.”
From Spit to Stone
In Portland, Oregon, the escalation was far more violent. Prosecutors allege that on June 14, 2025, 24-year-old Robert Jacob Hoopes joined a protest outside the local ICE building. Large rocks were hurled — one striking an ICE officer above the eye, leaving a deep gash. Later, Hoopes and others reportedly used an overturned stop sign as a battering ram, shattering the building’s front doors.
Hoopes was quickly identified through online images and arrested. He now faces charges of aggravated assault of a federal officer with a dangerous weapon and destruction of federal property exceeding $1,000.
Since June 13, 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Oregon says 23 people have been charged with crimes tied to unrest at the ICE facility — from arson and possession of destructive devices to violent assaults on officers.
Hostility in Unexpected Places
The violence hasn’t been confined to the streets. In Los Angeles, two medical clinic workers — 38-year-old Jose de Jesus Ortega of Highland and Danielle Nadine Davila of Corona — were arrested July 25. Prosecutors allege the pair physically attacked ICE agents during an enforcement operation and conspired to obstruct their duties.
A Staggering Surge
According to the Department of Homeland Security, assaults on ICE personnel between January 21 and July 14 have risen an unprecedented 830 percent compared to the same stretch in 2024.
Conclusion
From tense street encounters to coordinated acts of destruction, the role of an ICE officer now carries an even sharper edge of risk. The stories emerging are more than just headlines — they’re markers of a climate where law enforcement faces rising hostility, and where every encounter can tip from routine to life-threatening in seconds.
It’s a reminder that in today’s charged environment, courage and confrontation often walk the same narrow path — and the cost of stepping onto it is growing steeper by the day.