What is ICE in the USA? Powers, Protests, Your Rights

Few federal agencies spark as much debate as ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement), created in 2003 as part of the Department of Homeland Security, and this explainer breaks down what ICE can legally do, what rights citizens have, and why it remains controversial today.

Year founded: 2003 · Parent agency: U.S. Department of Homeland Security · June 2025 raids (Los Angeles): 500+ arrests

Six essential facts about the agency and its operations, drawn from official and research sources.

What is ICE in the USA?

Is ICE a government agency?

• Yes — ICE is a federal law enforcement agency within the Department of Homeland Security (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement official site).
• Its mission includes enforcing federal immigration laws and investigating cross-border crime (ice.gov).

Who created ICE immigration?

• ICE was established in 2003 by the Homeland Security Act, merging enforcement functions of the former Immigration and Naturalization Service and the Customs Service (ice.gov).

The implication: understanding ICE’s origins clarifies why its authority is so broad.

What does ICE do to immigrants?

What happens when someone is picked up by ICE?

• ICE agents can arrest, detain, and initiate removal proceedings against non-citizens (ice.gov).
• In June 2025, ICE conducted large-scale raids in Los Angeles that resulted in more than 500 arrests (Mixed Migration Centre).
• The agency also expanded use of surveillance tools including social media monitoring and cellphone location tracking (Brennan Center for Justice).

What nationality is ICE deporting the most?

• While official breakdowns vary, the majority of removals target individuals from Mexico, Central America, and other Latin American countries (ice.gov annual reports).

What this means: for immigrants, the agency’s shifting priorities offer little predictability.

Can ICE deport me if I’m a US citizen?

Can a US citizen be detained by ICE?

• US citizens have constitutional protections against deportation, but ICE can mistakenly detain citizens — such detention is illegal (Brennan Center analysis).
• ICE’s own jurisdiction statement confirms that US citizens cannot be legally deported (ice.gov).

Can you sue ICE for detaining you if you’re a citizen?

• Yes, citizens can file lawsuits for wrongful detention under the Federal Tort Claims Act (American Immigration Council).
• Right to sue for wrongful detention is established (American Immigration Council legal analysis).

The catch: even citizens can be caught up in immigration enforcement, especially if they protest.

What is the ICE protest about?

Why are people protesting Trump?

• Immigration-related demonstrations hit a record high in early 2025, with more than 700 events across all 50 states and DC (Princeton Bridging Divides Initiative).
• About 97% of these protests supported immigrant rights, not anti-immigrant positions (same source).
• In June 2025, Los Angeles protests were described as the strongest domestic backlash to the Trump administration since his return to office in January 2025 (Wikipedia summary referencing Reuters).

What are the demands of ICE protests?

• Protesters call for ending family separations, stopping racial profiling, and, in some cases, abolishing ICE entirely (Princeton Bridging Divides Initiative).
• State-level resistance has grown: California cities including San Francisco and Santa Ana publicly declined to cooperate with federal enforcement in 2025 (Mixed Migration Centre).

The pattern: protests are not just about immigration policy but about the balance of power between federal and state governments.

What are the criticisms of ICE?

Has ICE been accused of human rights abuses?

• Critics argue ICE engages in racial profiling and excessive force, and that detention conditions are poor (American Immigration Council).
• In March 2025, DHS eliminated its Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, a move the American Immigration Council called a step away from accountability (American Immigration Council).
• ICE’s expanded surveillance tools can reportedly be used not only for deportation enforcement but also against people who oppose ICE actions (Brennan Center for Justice).

The implication: oversight gaps make it harder to hold ICE accountable.

What’s next for ICE?

Will ICE be restructured or abolished?

• While calls to “Abolish ICE” peaked during the Trump administration, the agency’s future remains uncertain (Princeton Bridging Divides Initiative).
• Federal-state tensions continue to escalate — California’s refusal to cooperate and Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops signal a hardening divide (Mixed Migration Centre).
• No major legislative reform has passed, so ICE’s core powers remain fully intact as of 2025 (ice.gov).

The catch: without legislative reform, the current trajectory points to more enforcement and more conflict.

Timeline signal

1. 2003 — ICE created under DHS (ice.gov).
2. 2025 (early) — Record immigration protests across all 50 states (Princeton Bridging Divides Initiative).
3. June 2025 — ICE raids in LA trigger massive protests and federal-state confrontation (Mixed Migration Centre).

Perspectives on ICE

“U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law enforcement agency under the Department of Homeland Security responsible for immigration enforcement and related investigations.”

ICE official website (mission statement)

“In early 2025, immigration-related demonstrations reached a record high across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, with 97% of events supporting immigrant rights.”

Princeton Bridging Divides Initiative (protest tracking)

“ICE can use these tools not only for deportation-related enforcement but also against people who oppose ICE actions.”

Brennan Center for Justice (civil rights analysis)

The pattern is clear: ICE remains a powerful federal tool with growing surveillance capabilities, while public opposition and state-level resistance are at historic highs. For any immigrant living in the U.S., the implication is straightforward: knowing your rights — and the limits of ICE’s authority — is no longer optional. For American citizens, the agency’s expanding reach into digital surveillance and protest monitoring means the line between targeting non-citizens and affecting citizens is increasingly blurred. For policymakers, the trade-off between enforcement speed and civil liberties has never been starker.

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