Since Donald Trump took office on January 20 last year, immigration enforcement has grown deadlier—and the federal government’s explanations are facing intense scrutiny. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE has seen 2025 as its deadliest year since its founding in 2003. At least 32 people have died in ICE custody. Agents have shot 19 people, killing at least seven. By December 17, more than 3,800 children were detained.
Just last week, five children—including a two-year-old—were detained in Minneapolis. Tensions exploded after ICE agents shot and killed poet Renee Good and ICU nurse Alex Pretti. In both cases, officials were accused of lying. Trump claimed Good ran over an officer, but the video showed the officer was only lightly brushed. After Pretti’s killing, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said he brandished a weapon and attacked officers.
Footage instead shows Pretti holding a phone. His holstered gun was never drawn. Similar claims have unraveled elsewhere, including Los Angeles and California shootings later contradicted by video and officer reports. Public backlash is growing. A YouGov survey found more Americans support abolishing ICE than oppose it—even nearly 20 percent of Republicans. In Minnesota, tens of thousands protested. Over 700 businesses closed in the first citywide general strike in nearly 80 years.
Former President and First Lady Barack Obama and Michelle Obama called Pretti’s killing a wake-up call. Across the country, ICE Watch groups, churches, and NGOs like Amnesty International and the American Civil Liberties Union are mobilizing—sharing hotlines, delivering food, and teaching people their rights. As 61 percent of voters say ICE has “gone too far,” many fear a dark chapter in U.S. history is unfolding right now.
