The ICE Controversy

John Merolla
Jan 24
5 min read

John Merolla

Life News Today, Reporter

The death of a woman after being shot by an agent of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency during an operation in Minneapolis once again focused attention on the actions of this federal force, which increased its activity within the framework of the tightening of immigration policy applied in recent years. According to official data, the number of people held in ICE detention in the United States reached a record level of approximately 68,400 in mid-December 2025. The incident occurred on January 7, 2026, during one of those procedures in Minneapolis, a city in the state of Minnesota, where an agent shot Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman who was inside her truck, causing her death.

ICE was once again at the center of the public eye based on new immigration operations and the debate generated by their methods and results. Its role within the national security system, its budget growth and the complaints linked to some of its interventions keep open a discussion that combines immigration policy, security and civil rights.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the parent department. Its major components include:

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
ICE, which includes HSI and ERO
CBP
TSA
USCIS
Others

ICE is part of the Department of Homeland Security, and its structure is organized into two large divisions with differentiated functions. One of them is Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the investigative area. The other is Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), which is responsible for enforcing immigration laws within U.S. territory.

HSI functions as the agency's investigative arm. Its primary task is to identify and dismantle criminal organizations that pose a threat to national security. Among the crimes it investigates are human trafficking, child exploitation, money laundering, drug trafficking, terrorism, cybercrime and illegal arms trafficking. These are complex investigations that, in many cases, take place over several months and cross borders. To carry out these investigations, HSI works in coordination with other federal agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), as well as state, local and international law enforcement. The division has an operational presence in more than 50 countries and participates in joint investigations with foreign governments, especially in cases related to transnational organized crime.

The ERO division, on the other hand, is in charge of enforcing immigration laws within the United States. Its functions include locating, detaining, and deporting individuals who are in the country without regular immigration status or who have committed crimes that render them inadmissible or subject to removal under current law. This division is responsible for immigration operations, raids and detentions that usually generate greater public visibility.

ICE was created in 2003, under the presidency of George W Bush as part of the reorganization of the security system promoted after the attacks of September 11, 2001. The focus of the agency was to identifying and preventing terrorist threats, enforcing immigration laws including detention and removal, and investigating the illegal movement of people and goods.

Beginning in 2011, under the presidency of Barack Obama, the administration issued guidance directing ICE to prioritize serious criminals, recent border crossers, and national security threats, while using prosecutorial discretion to deprioritize others. These policies were outlined in a series of memos by ICE Director John Morton.

In 2014, the administration ended Secure Communities and replaced it with the Priority Enforcement Program (PEP), narrowing ICE’s cooperation with local law enforcement to focus on higher-priority cases.

George W. Bush (2003–2009)Baseline appropriations:Annual DHS baseline appropriations were approximately $38.7 billion. Component funding levels included:• ICE: approximately $4.7 billion per year• CBP: approximately $9.4 billion• FEMA: approximately $7 billion• TSA: approximately $4 billion• USCIS: limited appropriated funding; primarily fee-fundedCongress enacted approximately $10 billion in FEMA disaster supplementals during this period.

https://www.dhs.gov/dhs-budget?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Barack Obama (2009–2017)Baseline appropriations:Annual DHS baseline appropriations were approximately $40–55 billion. Component funding levels included:• ICE: approximately $5–6 billion per year• CBP: approximately $9–11 billion• FEMA: approximately $6–8 billion• TSA: approximately $6–7 billion• USCIS: primarily fee-funded with modest appropriationsCongress enacted approximately $10 billion in FEMA disaster supplementals during this period.

https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/HTML/R44611.web.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Donald Trump, First Term (2017–2021)Baseline appropriations:Annual DHS baseline appropriations were approximately $50–65 billion. Component funding levels included:• ICE: approximately $7–9 billion per year• CBP: approximately $12–15 billion• FEMA: approximately $7–10 billion• TSA: approximately $7–8 billion• USCIS: primarily fee-fundedCongress enacted approximately $4.6 billion in emergency and supplemental funding across multiple agencies.

https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/HTML/R44611.web.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Joe Biden (2021–January 20, 2025)Baseline appropriations:Annual DHS baseline appropriations were approximately $64.4 billion. Component funding levels included:• ICE: approximately $8–10 billion per year• CBP: approximately $18–20 billion• FEMA: approximately $10–15 billion• TSA: approximately $8–9 billion• USCIS: primarily fee-funded with increased appropriationsCongress enacted approximately $1.5 billion in FEMA-administered disaster supplementals.

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/2024_0311_fy_2025_budget_in_brief.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Donald Trump, Second Term (2025–present)Baseline appropriations:Annual DHS baseline appropriations were approximately $65–65 billion.. Component funding levels include:• ICE: approximately $9–10 billion annually• CBP: approximately $15–18 billion• FEMA: approximately $10–15 billion• TSA: approximately $8–9 billion• USCIS: primarily fee-fundedCongress enacted approximately $191.02 billion in multi-year supplemental funding authority for DHS.

https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R48704?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Donald Trump’s second term did not sharply increase in Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s regular annual budget. ICE’s baseline appropriation remained largely consistent with prior years, with only routine adjustments tied to inflation and standard Department of Homeland Security budgeting.

Instead, the growth in enforcement capacity stemmed primarily from large supplemental and multi-year appropriations approved outside the traditional annual funding process. Those measures provided ICE with substantial additional resources that could be drawn down over several fiscal years, dramatically increasing the agency’s spending capacity without permanently resetting its baseline budget.

Federal budget records show that the supplemental funding was directed largely toward recruitment and training programs, expansion of enforcement staffing, increased detention and transportation capacity, and broader operational support.

As a result, ICE reached a workforce of more than 22,000 employees spread across approximately 400 offices in the United States and abroad. Its ranks include deportation officers, special agents, analysts, technical and administrative staff. In accordance with its institutional mission, the agency aims to strengthen border security, prevent the illegal movement of people, goods, and funds, and combat terrorism and organized crime both within the country and abroad.

As the agency has expanded, ICE’s actions have been the subject of questioning. The death of Renée Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, drew renewed attention to the risks associated with intensive immigration enforcement operations. In recent months, other fatal incidents involving federal immigration officers have been reported in different parts of the country, including the shooting death of Silverio Villegas González, an undocumented immigrant, during an enforcement encounter outside Chicago. In additional cases, deaths have occurred during attempts to flee immigration operations or during workplace enforcement actions, though the circumstances and agency involvement have varied. These incidents have fueled ongoing debate over the scope and conduct of immigration enforcement.

According to available information, none of these episodes caused charges to be brought against agents or officials. ICE maintains that its operations focus primarily on people with criminal records or who represent a risk to public safety. However, civil and human rights organizations say that a growing part of those detained have no criminal record and have been arrested for administrative infractions linked only to their immigration status.

Data from White House Press Release. https://www.dhs.gov/dhs-budget?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Congress the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), a research center at Syracuse University, indicate that the population detained by ICE has increased steadily since the beginning of this year. The report attributes this growth to a combination of higher arrests and delays in immigration court proceedings, which extends detention times. In this context, ICE continues to play a central role in U.S. immigration policy. While the government defends its role in terms of security and border control, the debate on the scope of its actions and their social impact remains open.

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