ICE agents face 148 open misconduct investigations

Internal documents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reveal that the agency’s Office of Professional Responsibility is managing 148 open misconduct allegations spanning fiscal years 2023 to 2025. The allegations include serious offenses such as sexual assault, bribery, drug smuggling, domestic violence, and the intentional discharge of service weapons.

Data obtained through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests shows 18 open cases in 2023, 69 in 2024, and 61 in 2025. These investigations coincide with a period of rapid workforce expansion, during which the Department of Homeland Security reported that ICE personnel grew from approximately 10,000 to 22,000 officers and agents in less than a year.

Critics and advocacy groups, including the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, have raised concerns regarding the lack of resolution in these cases, noting that some investigations have remained open for up to four years without criminal charges being filed. While former ICE director John Sandweg noted that a high number of open investigations does not automatically indicate an increase in misconduct, he questioned whether the agency is effectively conducting and concluding these probes in a timely manner.