United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Acting Director Todd Lyons stated Monday that his agents are facing a growing number of threats from drug cartels.
His comments came amid intense scrutiny following multiple riots at ICE facilities and reports that Chicago police were ordered not to assist federal agents who were ambushed over the weekend.
During an appearance on Fox and Friends, Lyons detailed the rising danger to his personnel, which he says includes “upticks” in actual bounties placed on agents and agency leadership.
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“We have seen an uptick in actual bounties, photos of agents and agency leadership being targets of attacks by gangs and cartels. It really just has to stop,” Lyons said. He confirmed this troubling trend after co-host Lawrence Jones asked about reported bounties, though he declined to elaborate further citing ongoing criminal intelligence operations.
Criticism of Chicago Police Response
Lyons strongly reacted to reports that Chicago police were ordered to stand down and not assist ICE agents ambushed on Saturday.
“It is sad,” Lyons said, expressing disbelief that local law enforcement would not aid federal colleagues. “That’s what didn’t happen here in Chicago. You had 30 or 40 border patrol agents who were being swarmed, pinned in and attacked.”
He described the scene, noting that a “domestic terrorist” who was allegedly doxxing agents had a firearm, forcing agents to return fire, yet Chicago Police Department officers were told not to intervene.
“It shows where we are with the sad state of law enforcement in Illinois is the fact that you had other federal officers under attack, yet because of politics and the way people feel about immigration enforcement, they did not aid federal law enforcement officers,” Lyons continued.
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Facilities Targeted by Riots and Violence
The director’s comments highlight mounting pressure on the agency, which has recently seen its facilities in both Chicago and Portland, Oregon, become the scene of multiple riots as opposition to ICE operations has intensified. Lyons cited rioters in Chicago calling for agents to be arrested or shot in videos posted online.
The threats are not only verbal. On September 24, two people were killed in a shooting at the ICE office in Dallas, with the gunman taking his own life. This follows two previous incidents in Texas since July 4, where shots were fired at ICE or Border Patrol facilities, with ten people charged with attempted murder.
Lyons concluded by defending his agents’ actions, asserting they are simply enforcing existing law.
“Again, all the men and women of ICE are doing is going out there, and enacting the laws Congress has written. It is a law enforcement mission we do everyday, we’ve been doing it for decades,” he stated, adding that ICE personnel are “in the cross hairs of some of the most extreme leftist terrorists.”
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