A Homeland Security spokesperson has denounced as “thugs” an “independent media group” which is creating a database of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, and asking people to report officers or collaborators.
In an email shared with Newsweek, a spokesperson for The Crustian Daily, the group which has created the list said: “The ICE List exists because we believe the people carrying out violent state policy should not be protected by anonymity.”
Newsweek has reached out to ICE via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Such a list poses ethical issues around privacy because it risks exposing personal details without consent. It could also make people who work for the government potential targets for attack, and could make it more likely that ICE agents will wear masks at all times during arrests, which in turn might provoke more unrest.
The database comes as the Trump administration maintains its pledge to carry out the largest mass deportations in the history of the U.S. by authorizing ICE raids around the country. Some arrests have been perceived as heavy handed and others have wrongly targeted people suspected of having no legal status in the U.S. This has led to wide-scale peaceful protests witnessed in Los Angeles over the weekend, where ICE carried out multiple raids.
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The situation escalated in some areas, with protesters and federal agents clashing and around 2,000 National Guard troops deployed by President Donald Trump, despite objections from California Governor, Gavin Newsom.
The riots followed other protests across the country against detentions at immigration courts, schools, and workplaces, in spite of the Trump administration’s insistence ICE is going after illegal migrants in the country who pose security threats.
What To Know
The description of The Crustian Daily’s ICE List on their website reads: “We are building a public database of known Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and collaborators. If you’ve seen a person working with ICE—whether at a raid, in uniform, or on public social media—send us what you know.”
It also states that the “project” is about “truth and transparency,” and states that the outlet will not tolerate “harassment, threats, or the use of private, nonpublic information.”
Speaking to Newsweek over email, a spokesperson for the outlet said: “We won’t publish home addresses. We won’t encourage harassment. We won’t cross the line.”
They added: “What we will do is document publicly visible information, roles, affiliations, and identities tied to ICE operations, and make that easier for the public to access.”
Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for the Department of Homeland Security told Newsweek via email that “these are thugs,” and said that those who dox ICE agents will be prosecuted.
There is a growing trend of federal officers wearing masks during arrests, something which has raised concerns over potential harm to bystanders and communities, though there is no federal policy dictating when officers can, or should, cover their faces during arrests. Face masks are also often worn by protesters.
The Trump administration has defended the use of masks and cited a rise in threats and violence against ICE agents. The Department of Homeland Security, reports that assaults on immigration officers have surged by 413 percent. This has in turn prompted officials to argue that masks are necessary to protect both the agent’s identities, as well as their families.
ICE itself has become a flashpoint in the national immigration debate. Trump’s pledge of mass deportations was part of his successful 2024 campaign for reelection, and he has argued that the deportations are needed to address the rise in migrants who have entered illegally from the U.S.-Mexico border over the past few years, pointing to issues including public safety and national security.
Under the Trump administration, ICE has been granted greater authority, with restrictions lifted on conducting arrests in sensitive locations such as schools, health care facilities and places of worship. This policy shift has heightened fear in immigrant communities.
The ICE List from the Crustian Daily is not the first time efforts have been made by activists to expose the identity of ICE agents. In February, multiple federal law enforcement sources told Fox News that anti-ICE activists disrupting ICE operations in Los Angeles had begun posting flyers with personal details of ICE and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers in the region.
A poll from AP-NORC, conducted from January 9 to 13 among 1,147 adults, found that 83 percent of Americans support deporting migrants living in the U.S. illegally who have been convicted of a violent crime, while only 6 percent would oppose doing so.
A poll from the New York Times conducted from January 2 to 10 among 2,128 adults, found that 63 percent of Americans would support deporting undocumented migrants who entered the U.S. in the past four years, compared to 33 percent who would oppose the policy.
What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for the Crustian Daily, in an email shared with Newsweek: “This isn’t just about ICE. It’s about a deeper problem. We live under media systems and administrations that deliberately obscure who holds power and how they use it. I believe information should be freely attainable. When a government moves to hide that information, when secrecy becomes the default, I believe it’s our duty to fight back against that.”
Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs for the Department of Homeland Security in an email shared with Newsweek: “We will prosecute those who dox ICE agents to the fullest extent of the law. These criminals are taking the side of vicious cartels and human traffickers. We won’t allow it in America.”
Andrew Fels, attorney at Al Otro Lado, told Newsweek: “This kind of open source counterintelligence is common in conflict zones around the globe, particularly against security forces deemed unaccountable or suspected of human rights violations. But I never thought we’d see international journalists launch a similar project for the U.S.”
What’s Next
Following the protests in L.A., more anti-ICE demonstrations are popping up across the country. Trump has authorized the National Guard to intercede, warning of “troops everywhere,” if clashes are to continue.
