ICE Chief Sounds Alarm Over Threats to Agents’ Children

Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), warned Monday that ICE agents and their families are being targeted and threatened—some even by name—by opponents of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.

Appearing in a video posted to ICE’s official X (formerly Twitter) account, Lyons said that a wave of online harassment, doxxing, and violent threats is endangering not just ICE personnel but their spouses and children. The threats, he said, stem from efforts to vilify agents carrying out lawful deportation orders under federal immigration law.

“My officers and agents are enforcing immigration law,” Lyons said in the video. “They are not secret police. They are not Nazis. But people hiding behind keyboards are dehumanizing them, they’re doxxing them, stirring up anti-ICE sentiment, and putting their lives and their families’ lives at risk.”

The remarks come amid renewed national debate over immigration enforcement, as the Trump administration pursues a more ambitious deportation strategy in its second term. Lyons’ message was prompted in part by a series of recent social media posts that law enforcement officials say go beyond protest and into dangerous incitement.

One particularly troubling example cited in the ICE video features a now-deleted TikTok post in which the user tells viewers, “You can kill them. This isn’t about social media clout anymore. This isn’t about video. This isn’t about the phone. This is about get a gun and start killing ICE agents.” Federal officials say the person behind that post is now under investigation.

The ICE video also highlights a controversial post made by Cynthia Gonzalez, vice mayor of Cudahy, California, who appeared to call on local gang members to “stand up” against immigration enforcement operations. Her remarks, which were also deleted, are now the subject of a reported FBI inquiry into whether the post constituted incitement to violence or coordination with known criminal organizations.

While Gonzalez has not issued a formal statement about the post, ICE officials have characterized it as deeply irresponsible and potentially dangerous, especially given the rising threats against agents on the ground in California.

Some of the recent public criticism of ICE has focused on agents wearing face coverings during enforcement operations. Progressive groups and Democratic lawmakers have complained that the masked agents resemble a “secret police” force and operate in ways that intimidate communities. But according to Lyons, the masks are not about intimidation—they’re about protection.

“Wouldn’t you wear a mask if it kept your family safe, if it kept your kids safe?” Lyons asked. “We ran an operation with the Secret Service where we arrested someone that was going online, taking their [ICE agents’] photos, posting their families, their kids’ Instagrams, their kids’ Facebooks, and targeting them.”

ICE officials argue that the anonymity of their officers is now essential—not only for the agents’ personal safety, but also for the integrity of ongoing operations that involve high-risk apprehensions, often in areas with documented gang activity or sanctuary policies that restrict local cooperation with federal law enforcement.

In a press release issued June 20, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported a staggering 500% increase in assaults against ICE agents during immigration enforcement operations compared to the previous fiscal year. The agency emphasized that this uptick includes physical altercations, attempted vehicular assaults, and targeted vandalism at agents’ homes.

Multiple ICE agents have reported that personal photos of their children have been circulated online with threats and inflammatory commentary. DHS made clear that such actions will be met with criminal prosecution.

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