Demonstrators across America are calling for the abolition of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
It comes after a federal agent shot and killed a nurse at a hospital in the city of Minneapolis last weekend — the same city where an ICE agent fatally shot a 37-year-old woman earlier this month.
The deaths have led to intensified public scrutiny of ICE and its operations, and follow reports of increasingly violent raids.
What is ICE and how did we get here?
History
ICE is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
It was formed in 2003 as part of the U.S. Government’s response to the 2001 September 11 (9/11) terrorist attacks.
The key responsibilities of ICE are to enforce laws relating to immigration, border control, customs, and trade.
That includes arresting and deporting people who are in the U.S. illegally. ICE also has the power to launch criminal investigations.
Arrests
In the year to 30 September 2024, ICE agents arrested 113,431 people suspected of breaking immigration laws.
However, its operations have significantly increased since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025.
Trump ordered ICE increase its arrests to 3,000 people per day (up from a few hundred under the previous Biden administration) and authorised large-scale raids across the country.
In the year since, U.S. officials claim ICE has deported more than 675,000 people.
Between January and December 2025, the number of immigration detention facilities being used by ICE increased by 91%, a report by the American Immigration Council (AIC) found.
Roughly 40,000 people were being held by ICE when Trump took office. “In just one year, this number has increased by over 75%, with a record 73,000 people being held in detention as of mid-January,” AIC said.
“Today, detention is at the highest level in history.”
In December, ICE launched its “largest immigration operation ever,” deploying 2,000 agents to the Minneapolis area.
FAQs
Do ICE agents need a warrant to make arrests?
No, ICE agents do not generally need a court-issued warrant to make a public arrest.
ICE officers have the power to stop, question, and arrest someone they have reason to believe that person has violated immigration laws.
Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.
I want to give $10 monthly to help TDA keep doing the news.
Your details:
Do ICE agents need a warrant to conduct searches?
Traditionally, ICE needed to receive a court-issued warrant before an ICE officer could enter private property to make arrests or conduct searches.
However, an ICE memo signed in May 2025 (leaked to the Associated Press last week) authorises ICE agents to enter homes with only an administrative warrant (not signed by a judge).
Is ICE required to explain an arrest or show a warrant?
No, agents are not required show a warrant or explain an arrest to people who aren’t named or directly involved in a targeted operation.
ICE agents wear face coverings during operations. Is that legal?
Yes, federal agents are permitted to wear face masks. ICE says several of its officers cover their faces to protect their privacy.
All agents carry official badges and IDs, and are expected to identify themselves “when required for public safety or legal necessity.”
Protests
Anti-ICE demonstrations intensified after 37-year-old Minneapolis mother Renée Good was shot and killed by an ICE agent on 7 January.
Protests have escalated further since 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed by an ICE agent in the same city over the weekend.
According to Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, around 15,000 people attended “ICE out of Minnesota” demonstrations in near-freezing conditions on Sunday.
Several other U.S. cities have held similar protests this week.
Response
Mayor Frey has called on President Trump to end “the invasion of these heavily armed masked agents roaming the streets... emboldened with a sense of impunity”.
Frey has formally requested assistance from the National Guard (a reserve military force) to support the city’s “limited number of officers”.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has called on the Trump administration to let the state lead the investigation into the killings of Good and Pretti, and what he called ICE’s “organised brutality”.
When asked about Pretti’s death this week, Trump told reporters: “We’re reviewing everything and will come out with a determination”.
Trump said he had a “very good call”
with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Monday. “We, actually, seemed to be on a similar wavelength,” he wrote in a post to Truth Social.
Walz’s office called the call “productive” and said Trump agreed to consider reducing the number of ICE agents in the state.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, will meet with Walz in person this week. It comes as Gregory Bovino, a top border official, is expected to leave Minnesota.
