Immigration authorities are investigating intelligence indicating that Mexican drug cartels, working in coordination with U.S.-based gangs and extremist groups, have placed tiered bounties on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
DHS said in a statement that the threats include payments of up to $50,000 for assassinations of senior officials, $5,000–$10,000 for kidnappings or non-lethal assaults, and $2,000 for doxxing or gathering intelligence on agents. The department said the bounty system is part of "an organized campaign of terror against federal law enforcement."
"These criminal networks are not just resisting the rule of law — they are waging an organized campaign of terror against the brave men and women who protect our borders and communities," said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem in the agency's statement. "Our agents are facing ambushes, drone surveillance, and death threats, all because they dare to enforce the laws passed by Congress. We will not back down from these threats, and every criminal, terrorist, and illegal alien will face American justice."
According to the department, cartel-linked networks have deployed "spotters" — individuals stationed on rooftops in neighborhoods such as Chicago's Pilsen and Little Village — who are equipped with firearms and radio communications to track the real-time movements of ICE and CBP agents.
DHS also alleges that sympathetic domestic groups have provided logistical support, including doxxing federal personnel and staging protests designed to obstruct enforcement operations.
Two weeks ago, the Justice Department charged a member of the Chicago-based Latin Kings gang with offering a bounty on Greg Bovino, the CBP commander overseeing border surge operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland. The case was cited by DHS as an example of how cartel networks use U.S.-based affiliates to target law enforcement.
The agency urged the public to report "suspicious activities such as rooftop surveillance or coordinated protests aimed at blocking federal operations" to its national tip line.
Tuesday's statement builds on comments Secretary Noem made earlier this month, when she told Fox News that intelligence reports showed cartels and terrorist groups offering money to "kill or kidnap federal agents." At the time, she said bounties ranged from $2,000 to kidnap and $10,000 to kill agents, describing the situation as "unprecedented and extremely dangerous."
The DHS statement did not specify which cartels were behind the threats, but said the department would "continue to coordinate with the Department of Justice and state authorities to ensure the protection of federal personnel."
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