Who Is ICE? Why ICE Actions Are Triggering Fresh Unrest in the US?

The fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on 7 January, has intensified national scrutiny of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and its enforcement practices. A second fatal shooting, of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti, happened in Minneapolis on Saturday 24 January. This incident involved Border Patrol, an immigration agency which works alongside ICE

In early 2025, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) became the focus of renewed national scrutiny following a series of fatal shootings in Minneapolis and a sharp rise in immigration arrests across the country. While the Trump administration has stated that enforcement efforts target “the worst of the worst,” newly released data and investigative reporting suggest a more complex reality.

These incidents have raised urgent questions: What is ICE? What powers do its agents have? And under what circumstances can they use deadly force?

This explainer examines ICE’s role, authority, and the legal framework governing its actions — based on documented laws, court rulings, and official policy.

What Is ICE and Why Was It Created?

ICE is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It was created in 2003 under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks. Federal immigration agents from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) — once focused mainly on people with serious criminal convictions — began making far more arrests than ever before, spreading far inland from the border into cities such as Chicago, Denver, Miami, and Minneapolis.

Its core responsibilities include:

• Enforcing US immigration laws
• Arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants
• Deporting individuals without legal status
• Investigating immigration-related offenses

From 200 to 1,000 Arrests a Day — The Numbers Tell a Different Story

Since President Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025, ICE has taken the lead role in an expanded mass deportation initiative, supported by increased funding and staffing.

According to official government statements:

• ICE’s budget, staffing, and operational reach have been expanded.
• Arrests often occur in public spaces, including streets and workplaces.
• ICE works alongside other federal agencies, including Border Patrol.

Between 20 January and 10 December 2025, the administration reported:

• 605,000 deportations
• 1.9 million “voluntary self-deportations”, following public campaigns urging undocumented immigrants to leave the country

According to IRI- Before Trump’s second inauguration in January 2025, ICE was making about 200 arrests per day nationwide — a relatively steady level compared with previous years.

Immediately after January 21, 2025, that figure tripled to about 600 per day. Then in May 2025, ICE introduced an ambitious new directive:
a quota for officers to attempt to make 3,000 arrests per day.

ICE never reached the 3,000 target, but the daily arrest count continued to climb, reaching around 800–1,000 per day by mid-2025.

If someone heard “immigration enforcement ramped up,” they might assume the new arrests focused on serious criminal offenders. But the numbers say something else.

According to the Immigration Research Initiative (IRI) analysis of Deportation Data Project figures:

📉 As the number of daily arrests went up, the percentage of those arrested who had criminal convictions went down.

On days with higher arrest numbers:

• Fewer than half of those arrested had ever been convicted of a crime.
• In many cities and enforcement categories, only about one-third to one-quarter of those arrested had criminal records.

This trend is significant because immigration violations themselves are civil, not criminal, matters — and the public messaging from government officials emphasized targeting only “dangerous criminals.

Who ICE Is Arresting — Behind the Numbers

To understand who is being arrested, we have to look at the methods ICE uses to make arrests:

1. Criminal Alien Program (CAP)

This program focuses on screening inmates already in custody and looking for immigration violations. While CAP is still a major source of arrests, its effectiveness at targeting people with convictions varies:

• People arrested via local incarceration under CAP still showed only about 42% with criminal convictions.

2. Non-Custodial Arrests

These are arrests made outside jail or prison settings — for example, on the street, at work, or during raids targeting undocumented immigrants.

Non-custodial arrests have soared, and they show:

• Only 26% of those arrested had any criminal conviction.

3. Located Arrests

This category includes various arrests that don’t fall under CAP or other standard categories. Police and researchers report that these often happen during city-wide operations and can include individuals with no criminal history. About 33% of those arrested this way had criminal convictions.

4. Other Enforcement Channels

These include:

• Probation and parole verifications
• Worksite raids
• Transportation checkpoints
  Many of these categories also show low conviction percentages, especially raids and non-custodial stops.

In other words: as ICE expanded enforcement, its focus broadened well beyond people with criminal convictions.

In some cities, spikes in arrests were tied to:

• Large city-wide raids
• Increases in “located” and “non-custodial” arrests
• Protests and enforcement responses
  This suggests that enforcement intensity was not driven solely by traditional criminal screening.

Operation Metro Surge: Two Fatal Shooting in Minneapolis and Saint Paul

On 4th December 2025, DHS announce the Operation Metro Surge and on 6th January announced an expansion of this operation, called the largest operation ever carried out

As of mid-January:

• About 2,000 ICE and federal agents were deployed in Minneapolis
• An additional 800 Border Patrol agents were sent to the city

The Renee Nicole Good Case

Renee Nicole Good, a US citizen, was shot by an ICE agent while driving her car in Minneapolis.

• The Trump administration stated the agent acted in self-defence
• Local officials dispute this, arguing she posed no immediate threat

The incident triggered:

• Protests across Minneapolis
• A lawsuit by Minnesota officials seeking to block federal immigration deployments in the state

The case remains under investigation.

The Second Minneapolis Shooting: Alex Pretti

On 24 January, Alex Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care nurse, was fatally shot by Border Patrol agents — a separate agency that works alongside ICE.

Federal officials claimed Pretti was brandishing a firearm.
Local authorities disputed this, stating:

• The gun was legally registered
• It had been removed
• Pretti was not threatening officers

This contradiction has further intensified calls for independent investigation.

According to source: US Border Patrol agents involved in the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Alex Pretti have been placed on administrative leave.

What Powers Do ICE Agents Have to Arrest People?

ICE agents have authority to:

• Stop, detain, and arrest individuals suspected of being in the US unlawfully
• Conduct arrests in public places without a judicial warrant

However:

• Entering homes or private property requires a signed judicial warrant.
• ICE agents can detain US citizens only in limited circumstances, such as:
  • Interfering with an arrest
  • Assaulting an officer
  • When agents reasonably believe immigration violations are involved

Investigations by ProPublica have documented more than 170 cases in which US citizens were detained by federal agents, often due to mistaken identity.

What Happens After ICE Detains Someone?

Possible outcomes include:

• Temporary questioning and release
• Transfer to detention facilities
• Legal proceedings while detained
• Deportation if appeals fail

What is the Public Reaction and Political Debate

As enforcement actions have spread, so have public protests and criticism.

Polling by Pew Research Center (October 2025):

• Around 53% of US adults believe the administration is doing “too much” to deport undocumented immigrants
• Only **36% supported expanded enforcement

Many critics argue that:

• Enforcement should focus more narrowly on individuals with serious criminal histories
• Civil liberties need stronger protections
• Transparency in ICE operations is lacking

Some supporters of enforcement still maintain that:

• Strong immigration control is necessary for national security and public safety
• Enforcement reduces unlawful residence and strengthens law enforcement overall

The public debate continues, with enforcement policy remaining a major point of contention in national politics.

As documented in our earlier report on the 1967 Minneapolis disturbance and the death of George Floyd, conflicts between state authority and marginalized communities are not new.

While earlier conflicts centered on local policing, today’s unrest increasingly involves federal immigration enforcement, reflecting how unresolved inequalities continue to surface through different institution. As investigations continue, the Minneapolis cases raise broader questions about accountability, use of force, and civil rights — questions that echo decades of unrest in the city and across the United States.