Photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP / Getty Images
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement faces mounting public backlash over aggressive raids and deadly encounters, unrest is also growing inside the agency itself.
According to reporting by WIRED, users on an online forum with more than 5,000 members, claiming to be current and former ICE and Customs and Border Protection officers, have been openly criticizing leadership, working conditions, and the pace of enforcement.
The forum, which has existed for more than a decade, serves as an unofficial space for deportation officers and retirees to discuss the job. While employment is not verified, many posts reference internal procedures and deployments consistent with agency operations, WIRED reports.
The complaints intensified as DHS ramped up large-scale immigration operations in cities like Minneapolis, where federal agents have been involved in fatal encounters, including the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. In multiple threads, users described mandatory temporary duty assignments with little notice, long stretches without days off, and what they called disorganized leadership amid nonstop surges.
Several posters also raised concerns about training and accountability.
DHS confirmed it hired roughly 12,000 new officers in 2025 and shortened training timelines to speed deployment. Forum users allege that some officers were sent into the field with minimal preparation, relying on brief virtual instruction, per WIRED.
Other posts questioned the accuracy of DHS’s publicly reported arrest numbers. DHS has claimed it removed more than 675,000 undocumented immigrants, but some forum users allege arrests are double-counted when multiple agencies are involved in a single operation. Independent verification of those figures remains limited.
Concerns over enforcement tactics have also surfaced in court filings and video evidence. Axios reported on footage showing federal agents ramming a vehicle during an enforcement action, despite ICE policies restricting pursuits. Separately, lawsuits are underway involving U.S. citizens and legal residents who say they were wrongfully detained or injured during immigration operations.
Frustration has spilled beyond enforcement itself. Reporting cited by La Voce di New York highlights complaints from individuals identifying as ICE recruits who say they experienced delayed pay, inactive health insurance, and missing bonuses weeks after being hired — claims that have not been independently verified.
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