Criminals Pretending to Be ICE

The FBI warned law enforcement agencies in an advisory that criminal impersonators are taking advantage of ICE’s reputation and called for national cooperation to differentiate genuine operations from scams.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation released a law enforcement notice last month warning that criminals posing as US immigration agents had committed robberies, kidnappings, and sexual assaults in many states. Agencies are urged by the bureau to make sure officers properly identify themselves and to assist when citizens request to confirm an officer’s identification, including by permitting calls to a nearby police station. It states, “Ensure law enforcement personnel adequately [sic] identify themselves during operations and cooperate with individuals who request further verification.”

The bulletin lists five instances of phony immigration officers in 2025 and claims that criminals are taking advantage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s elevated profile to target vulnerable communities, making it more difficult for Americans to discern between legitimate officers and imposters and undermining public confidence in law enforcement. Four of the five incidents included in the advisory are confirmed by an analysis of public reporting. One seems to have gone unnoticed, indicating that the FBI used information from internal law enforcement. 

A few indicators of impersonation, according to the FBI, include cloned vehicle insignia, out-of-date protection gear, and falsified or mismatched credentials. The FBI claims that by encouraging agencies to start outreach initiatives targeted at spotting impersonators, law enforcement’s reputation may be improved and the mistrust produced by impersonators could be mitigated.