ICE Faces Surge in Accidental Discharges and Force‑Use Spike Amid Rapid Expansion
Updated (2 articles)
Rapid Hiring and Funding Accelerate Agency Growth The Department of Homeland Security announced a hiring surge of more than 12,000 ICE agents in January 2026, backed by billions of dollars from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed in July 2025 [1]. This influx follows a broader federal push to expand immigration enforcement capacity. The rapid scale‑up has coincided with heightened scrutiny of operational safety and use‑of‑force practices.
Accidental Discharges Occur During Routine Tasks Three ICE officers—two HSI agents in Contra Costa County and San Francisco on March 18, 2025, and one ERO officer in Baltimore on March 17, 2025—accidentally fired their service weapons while holstering, sustaining thigh wounds and receiving outpatient care [1]. An instructor’s taser misfire in a Cary, North Carolina office also struck the carpet but caused no injuries [1]. Former senior officials note such incidents are not rare and often involve experienced agents, suggesting systemic handling issues beyond new‑hire errors [1].
Force‑Use Reports Quadrupled Early 2025 Internal ICE emails from February and March 2025 warned that use‑of‑force reports rose to 67 incidents in the first two months of 2025, up from 17 in the same period of 2024 [2]. The messages highlighted a sharp increase in officer assaults and referenced training on 18 U.S.C. § 111 to improve prosecution of attacks [2]. A March 10, 2025 operation in Washington saw agents smash a vehicle’s windows and taser a detainee, resulting in minor injuries [2].
Officials Cite Operator Error and Fatigue Over Hiring Spike Retired ICE director Darius Reeves affirmed that training safety mechanisms remain robust but acknowledged occasional lapses, while deputy director Scott Mechkowski and criminology professor Heidi Bonner linked errors to mental fatigue and stress from rapid expansion [1]. DHS defended its agents, stating policies unchanged since 2023 and emphasizing minimal‑force training [2]. The contrasting explanations underscore ongoing debate over whether personnel growth or individual performance drives the safety concerns.
Sources
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1.
Newsweek: ICE Training Mishaps Highlight Safety Concerns Amid Rapid Expansion: Details three accidental firearm discharges in March 2025, a taser misfire, a hiring surge of over 12,000 agents, and expert commentary attributing incidents to operator error and fatigue .
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2.
Newsweek: ICE Officials Knew of Spike in Force Use Before Minneapolis Shootings, Emails Reveal: Presents FOIA‑obtained emails showing a four‑fold rise in early‑2025 use‑of‑force reports, a March 10 taser incident, DHS’s policy defense, and context of Operation Metro Surge’s controversy .
Timeline
2017 – A study finds more than 50 % of accidental firearm discharges occur during routine tasks such as holstering, highlighting a systemic risk in law‑enforcement practices that later appears in ICE incidents [1].
2023 – ICE’s use‑of‑force policy aligns with the 2023 standards, which DHS cites when defending agents after a surge in force incidents [2].
2024 (first two months) – ICE records 17 use‑of‑force reports, establishing a baseline that officials later compare to a sharp increase in early 2025 [2].
Feb 2025 – Senior ICE officials receive internal emails warning that use‑of‑force reports have “quadrupled year‑over‑year,” with 67 incidents in the first two months of 2025 versus 17 in the same period of 2024, prompting concern among leadership [2].
Mar 10 2025 – Border Patrol and ICE officers in Washington smash a woman’s car windows while detaining two undocumented individuals; one detainee is tasered, later vomits, and receives minor scratches, illustrating the escalating use‑of‑force incidents cited in internal emails [2].
Mar 17 2025 – An Enforcement and Removal Operations officer in Baltimore accidentally discharges his service weapon while holstering during quarterly training, sustaining a thigh wound and being released after treatment [1].
Mar 18 2025 – Two Homeland Security Investigations agents in Contra Costa County, California, and San Francisco each accidentally fire their firearms while holstering during the same quarterly training, resulting in minor thigh injuries and no further harm [1].
Mar 20 2025 – Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello receives an email highlighting the surge in law‑enforcement officer assaults and referencing training on 18 U.S.C. § 111 to improve prosecution of such attacks, indicating a shift in agency focus toward officer safety [2].
2025 (unspecified date) – An ICE instructor testing a newly issued taser in Cary, North Carolina accidentally triggers it, firing a probe that strikes the carpet; no personnel are injured, adding to a pattern of equipment‑related mishaps [1].
July 2025 – The Department of Homeland Security passes the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, providing “billions” of new funding and prompting a hiring surge of over 12,000 ICE agents; officials describe the agency as “supercharged with billions,” a rapid expansion later linked by veterans to operator fatigue and accidental discharges [1].
Dec 2025 – ICE launches Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota to detain illegal‑immigrant criminals; the operation later results in two U.S. citizen deaths and sparks civil‑rights criticism, setting the stage for its winding down in early 2026 [2].
Early 2026 – Operation Metro Surge winds down amid mounting civil‑rights scrutiny and calls for ICE reform, reflecting the fallout from the December 2025 launch and the earlier spike in force incidents [2].
Feb 18 2026 – Former senior ICE officials publicly state that accidental discharges “are not rare and often involve experienced agents,” emphasizing operator error and mental fatigue over hiring spikes as primary causes of the 2025 training mishaps [1].