The leaders of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee have asked the inspector general of DHS to gather information on assaults against ICE personnel, saying there have been 19 such incidents already this year, approaching the 24 recorded in all of last year.
In addition to identifying, arresting and removing aliens, ICE personnel enforce a diverse set of laws that also might trigger violent conflicts including narcotics and weapons trafficking, transnational gang activity and human trafficking, noted Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Claire McCaskill, D-Mo.
They asked for information on the number of assaults in the course of duty each year since 2010 including the type of assault and any trends that have emerged; the methods ICE uses to track and report on injuries in the field; the actions taken against the offenders; and any measures DHS has taken or could take to promote safety, including training on de-escalating conflicts.
