Criminals posing as US immigration officers have carried out robberies, kidnappings, and sexual assaults in a number of states, warns a regulation enforcement bulletin issued final month by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The bureau urges companies to make sure officers clearly determine themselves and to cooperate when civilians ask to confirm an officer’s id—together with by permitting calls to an area police precinct. “Guarantee regulation enforcement personnel adequality [sic] determine themselves throughout operations and cooperate with people who request additional verification,” it says.
First reported by WIRED, the bulletin cites 5 2025 incidents involving faux immigration officers and says criminals are utilizing Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s heightened profile to focus on weak communities, making it tougher for People to differentiate between lawful officers and imposters whereas eroding belief in regulation enforcement. A overview of public reporting confirms 4 of the 5 instances described within the bulletin. One seems to have gone unreported, suggesting the FBI drew partially on inside regulation enforcement info. The doc was first obtained by the transparency nonprofit Property of the People.
On August 7, in response to the FBI, three males in black vests entered a New York restaurant claiming to be ICE brokers. Inside, they tied a employee’s arms and pulled a rubbish bag over the individual’s head. One other, believing the burglars’ story, surrendered themselves, solely to be kicked to the bottom and tied up because the intruders robbed an ATM.
The bureau’s advisory urges companies at each stage of presidency to coordinate to “confirm reputable versus non-legitimate operations” attributed to ICE—a name that frames the wave of impersonations as a nationwide law-enforcement concern.
The FBI declined to remark. Its nationwide press workplace stated that it may solely reply to media inquiries involving nationwide safety, violations of federal regulation, or important public security capabilities throughout the federal government shutdown.
Instances cited by its advisory span kidnappings, road crime, and sexual violence: In Bay County, Florida, the advisory says, a lady “unzipped [her] jacket and revealed a shirt that stated ICE” and informed her ex-boyfriend’s spouse she was there to “decide her up,” earlier than driving her to an condominium advanced. The girl later escaped. In Brooklyn, it alleges, a person informed a lady he was an immigration officer and “directed [her] to a close-by stairwell,” the place he punched her, tried to rape her, and stole her telephone earlier than police caught him. In Raleigh, North Carolina, it claims, a person “entered [a] motel room and threatened to deport the girl if she didn’t have intercourse with him,” telling her he was a sworn officer. He confirmed her a enterprise card with a badge, police stated.
The FBI describes a couple of indicators of impersonation: cast or mismatched credentials, outdated protecting gear, and cloned automobile markings. It’s urging companies to launch outreach packages geared toward figuring out faux ICE brokers, a step the FBI argues may counteract the distrust attributable to impersonators and strengthen regulation enforcement’s picture.
