Original Date Announced

ProPublica reports that ICE has dramatically increased use of force during immigration arrests, including smashing the car windows of individuals who do not quickly comply with officer demands to open the door. ProPublica identified nearly 50 documented instances of immigration agents breaking vehicle windows during the second Trump administration, compared to eight instances in the previous decade. Experts and former ICE officials report that previous administrations "rarely" used this tactic and that there is no known formal policy change greenlighting increased use of force.

People interviewed by ProPublica reported that immigration officers have smashed car windows when there were crying children and pregnant women inside, and when people inside the car have informed officers that they are U.S. citizens or are waiting for their attorney to arrive. They report head wounds, broken bones, and other injuries due to beatings and, in one case, being dragged through a broken car window.

ICE states that its officers use a "minimum amount of force" when making arrests.

Trump 2.0 [ID #1895]

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.09.26 Dan Goldman & Brad Lander - Referral of ICE Officer to U.S. Attorney's Office for Felony Prosecution

Representative Dan Goldman and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander sent a letter to Attorney General Bondi referring an ICE officer for potential excessive-force prosecution. The referral follows a video-recorded incident in which the officer “violently and unnecessarily threw” a woman to the ground in front of her children at 26 Federal Plaza in New York City, causing her to require hospital treatment. The incident took place shortly after ICE agents detained the woman's husband after a court appearance for his asylum application. The letter states that the officer’s actions may violate the Fourth Amendment and other federal law.

According to CBS News, although the ICE officer was temporarily relieved of his duties, he was placed back on duty after a preliminary review of the incident.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.10.13 Reported: Tackles, projectiles and gunfire: Many fear ICE tactics are growing more violent - NPR

NPR reports an increase in violence and excessive force by ICE officials in enforcement actions across the Chicago area and other cities. In multiple cases, officers have been filmed using pepper balls, tackling people, and drawing weapons, sometimes at bystanders and journalists. Advocates say these incidents are part of a broader pattern of escalating force, citing recent raids, shootings, and injuries during ICE operations. Federal officials have defended these actions as necessary responses to perceived threats, but body camera footage and witness accounts have raised questions about whether the force used was justified.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.10.21 Reported: TikTok influencer shot during LA immigration enforcement operation - CBS News

CBS News reports that Carlitos Ricardo Parias, a TikTok influencer who goes by Richard LA, was shot in the elbow along with a deputy U.S. Marshal during an encounter with immigration enforcement officers in South Los Angeles. The government alleges that Parias refused to comply with immigration authorities' orders, leading federal agents to box his car in an attempt to arrest him. Parias then allegedly rammed his vehicle into the federal agents, resulting in officers opening fire. Federal prosecutors stated that Parias will be charged with assaulting a federal officer.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.11.02 Reported: Border Patrol agent punches restrained man - AP News

AP News reports that a U.S. Border Patrol agent was seen on video repeatedly punching a man in the head while pinned to the ground. DHS claims that the man had "physically assaulted" a Border Patrol agent, and that the Border Patrol agent delivered “defensive strikes” after the man “grabbed the agent’s genitals and squeezed.” The incident took place in Illinois after a crowd of civilians appeared to try to interfere with arrests; agents responded by deploying pepper spray, punching the man, and pointing a gun in the direction of another woman who opened the agents' vehicle door.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.11.06 Preliminary Injunction - Chicago Headline Club v. Noem

District Judge Sara Ellis issued a detailed preliminary injunction that, among other things, enjoins federal agents from arresting, threatening to arrest, or using physical force against any person whom they know or reasonably should know is a journalist; using riot control weapons on class members; and using hands-on physical force or restraint tactics involving pressure to the neck on class members. The order also requires federal agents to have visible identification affixed to their uniforms and be equipped and trained with body cameras.

In an order granting plaintiffs’ motion for class certification, Judge Ellis also stated that the Defendants and their agents had used force "indiscriminately, without making individualized assessments as to threat." Chicago Headline Club v. Noem, No. 1:25-cv-12173 (N.D. Ill.).

**Link to case here. Our litigation entries generally report only the initial complaint and any major substantive filings or decisions. For additional information, CourtListener provides access to PACER and all available pleadings. Other sites that track litigation in more detail or organize cases by topic include Civil Rights Clearinghouse, Justice Action Center, National Immigration Litigation Alliance, and Just Security**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.11.10 Project on Government Oversight - El Centro Border Patrol Agents Use Disproportionate Force

The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) reports that, according to data from 2022 to 2025, CBP agents in the El Centro Sector, California, have reported using force on other people more than three times as many as they have faced assaults—the highest ratio of use of force to assault of any CBP sector in the nation. There were 300 incidents of El Centro agents using force and 83 incidents of assaults against agents.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.11.10 Reported: ICE Throws Pepper Spray Into Car With Toddler Inside, Video Appears to Show - Newsweek

Newsweek reports that an ICE agent allegedly sprayed pepper spray into a car with a toddler inside, leaving both the driver and his young daughter in distress. In a post on X, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin denied that any pepper spray was used. The driver said that he and his daughter were hit while trying to leave a Sam’s Club parking lot; they were not protesting, nor did they have any other contact with law enforcement before they were allegedly pepper-sprayed.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.11.19 Order Staying Preliminary Injunction - Chicago Headline Club v. Noem

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit granted the administration's request for a stay pending appeal of the district court's November 6, 2025, preliminary injunction addressing, inter alia, federal agents' arrests of journalists, use of riot-control weapons, and physical force against protestors. The Seventh Circuit found that the injunction was "overbroad" because its "practical effect is to enjoin all law enforcement officers within the Executive Branch" and "too prescriptive" such that it "resembles a federal regulation." Moreover, the order "impermissibly infring[es] on the separation of powers," as it "requires the enjoined parties to submit for judicial review all current and future internal guidance, policies, and directives regarding efforts to implement the order."

The Seventh Circuit noted, however, that the district court's "voluminous and robust factual findings . . . may support entry of a more tailored and appropriate preliminary injunction that directly addresses the First and Fourth Amendment claims raised." Chicago Headline Club v. Noem, No. 25-3023 (7th Cir.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.12.11 Reported: The Military Suppliers Behind Immigration Raids - Bloomberg News

Bloomberg News reports that the Trump administration spent heavily in the final weeks of fiscal year 2025 to equip immigration enforcement officers, including $12.2 million on rifles, $11.3 million on tasers, and $3.7 million on chemical munitions and less-lethal gear. Companies like Geissele Automatics, which usually supply the military, landed massive deals—Geissele agreed to sell $9.1 million of precision long guns to ICE and $3.1 million of rifles to CBP. ICE spent nearly $140 million in September on weapons, ammunition, and other equipment, including more than $7 million for training purposes; CBP also ordered $65 million in gear, ranging from uniforms to body armor.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.12.24 Reported: ICE officer accused of excessive force, then sent back to work despite active probe - NPR

NPR reports that in less than 72 hours, an ICE officer went from being placed on administrative leave to returning to duty after he was filmed roughly pushing a woman to the ground at an immigration court in New York. The incident spread quickly online and prompted a rare public announcement of leave, but the agent was back at work before the DHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) finished reviewing the case. Ultimately, OIG concluded two months later that the incident did not merit a criminal investigation.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.01.07 Reported: ICE officer kills a Minneapolis driver in a deadly start to Trump’s latest immigration operation - AP News

AP reports that an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen, in Minnesota. Good was a legal observer and had been sitting in the driver’s seat of her vehicle when ICE approached and fired shots into her car.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.01.08 Reported: 2 people shot by Border Patrol agent in Portland identified by DHS - NBC News

NBC News reports that two people were wounded in Portland after being shot by a Border Patrol agent in an incident that federal officials allege was self-defense. DHS alleges those injured are "suspected Tren de Aragua associates" and alleges the driver "attempted to run over . . . agents" before fleeing. "Local police said they could not verify" DHS's account and are supporting an investigation into "an assault on federal officers" led by the FBI.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.01.10 Reported: F.B.I.’s Inquiry Into ICE Shooting Faces Doubts After White House’s Remarks - The New York Times

The New York Times reports that the Trump administration blocked Minnesota officials from participating in the investigation of the killing of Renee Nicole Good. The Trump administration insists the case be handled solely by the FBI after asserting local authorities could not be trusted to act impartially, even as President Trump and senior officials publicly declared the shooting justified and cast Ms. Good as the aggressor. Critics argue that the administration's statements risk predetermining the outcome and eroding confidence in the inquiry, particularly given the FBI's extensive involvement in immigration enforcement under President Trump.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2025.01.13 Reported: We Found More Than 40 Cases of Immigration Agents Using Banned Chokeholds and Other Moves That Can Cut Off Breathing - ProPublica

ProPublica reports over 40 cases of immigration agents using chokeholds and other life-threatening maneuvers on immigrants, U.S. citizens, and protesters. These tactics are banned by DHS “unless deadly force is authorized.” Although there is a federal ban on chokeholds, the government has not disclosed whether any officers have been disciplined for using these tactics. Former law-enforcement officials who reviewed footage of the incidents described the agents' actions as reckless and dangerous, putting everyone involved at risk.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

Washington Post - Medical examiner likely to classify death of ICE detainee as homicide, recorded call says

The Washington Post reports that El Paso County, TX's medical examiner is likely to classify the death of ICE detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos as a homicide, with the preliminary cause listed as "asphyxia due to neck and chest compression." While ICE stated that staff observed Lunas Campos in "distress" without citing a cause, an eyewitness alleged that guards choked the 55-year-old Cuban immigrant at the Camp East Montana detention facility.

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

Reported 01.24.2026: Timeline: A Moment-by-Moment Look at the Shooting of Alex Pretti - New York Times

The New York Times reports that "[f]ederal agents shot and killed a 37-year-old Minneapolis resident, Alex Jeffrey Pretti, at about 9.a.m. Central time on Saturday morning." The Times analyzed observer footage of the incident, noting that "[t]he footage seems to contradict [DHS]'s account of the encounter, which the agency said began after an individual armed with a handgun approached federal agents with the intent to 'massacre' them." After an agent "removes the weapon [carried by Mr. Pretti] from the scene . . . while Mr. Pretti is on his knees and restrained, the agent standing directly above him appears to fire one shot at Mr. Pretti at close range. He immediately fires three additional shots."

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.01.26 Complaint - Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension v. Noem

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) and the Hennepin County Attorney's Office filed a complaint against DHS Secretary Noem and other DHS officials alleging that federal personnel, in attempting to deny state law-enforcement access to the scene of Alex Pretti's shooting, detained witnesses and seized their cell phones. The complaint alleges that DHS's actions violate the Tenth Amendment by impeding the state's police power, are arbitrary and capricious under the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), and unlawfully withheld agency action under the APA. The BCA requests that the court enjoin DHS from "destroying, altering, or concealing any such evidence [relating to the shooting of Alex Pretti]" and from "continuing to deny Plaintiffs access to such evidence."

The complaint also notes that "[s]tate and local law enforcement continue to investigate the fatal shooting of [Reneé Nicole] Good despite federal authorities' ongoing failure to cooperate." Minn. Bureau of Criminal Apprehension v. Noem, 0:26-cv-00628, (D. Minn.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above.**

Subsequent Trump and Court Action

2026.01.24 Order Granting TRO - Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension v. Noem

U.S. District Judge Eric Tostrud granted the BCA's request for a temporary restraining order (TRO), enjoining DHS from "destroying or altering evidence related to the fatal shooting involving federal officers" of Alex Pretti. Minn. Bureau of Criminal Apprehension v. Noem, 0:26-cv-00628, (D. Minn.).

**Link to case here. See litigation note above.**