ICE to roll out bold, new cars emblazoned with agency’s name, logo — leaving agents furious and terrified: ‘A bullseye’
A new fleet of boldly marked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) vehicles is set to hit the streets of Washington, DC — a move that has stirred concern among agents who fear it could jeopardize their safety and hinder operations.
Photos obtained by The Post show the new dark blue vehicles emblazoned with large yellow “ICE” lettering and the phrase “Defend the Homeland” prominently displayed. The vehicles are expected to be introduced in the nation’s capital soon, with plans to gradually expand their use nationwide.
“Obviously, we’re going to need additional vehicles as we build out our workforce,” one ICE source said. “So there’ll be some marked vehicles from here in DC and around the country.”
However, the rollout has drawn criticism from within the agency. Agents warn that the conspicuous branding could make them targets, especially amid a surge in confrontations with both anti-ICE activists and undocumented individuals resisting arrest.
“It’s like having a bullseye,” one agent told The Post. Another source echoed the sentiment, warning that marked vehicles could increase the risk of street confrontations. Some described past incidents in which activists damaged government vehicles or threw objects at them.
ICE agents often work in plainclothes and wear masks to conceal their identities during operations — a tactic that has come under scrutiny, particularly as the Trump administration intensifies its immigration enforcement.
“They won’t let us do our jobs,” one agent said of activists who have disrupted arrests and surveillance operations.
It remains unclear how many vehicles will be introduced or how much the initiative will cost. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the fleet expansion was made possible by funding from the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” recently passed by Congress.
“ICE is a law enforcement agency, and like all other law enforcement agencies has a fleet of vehicles that includes those with ICE branding,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Thanks to the One Big Beautiful Bill, ICE finally has the resources to grow its workforce to support ICE’s mission, and that will include all types of additional vehicles.”
McLaughlin defended the decision, emphasizing that the safety of agents remains a top priority.
“Suggestions that law enforcement branded vehicles — no different from police vehicles — will jeopardize that is simply not the case,” she said.
Sources clarified that while the new vehicles will be used for arrest operations, they will not be involved in undercover surveillance work, which often precedes an arrest.
The vehicle rollout comes alongside an increased ICE presence in Washington, DC, following President Trump’s recent decision to assume greater federal control over the city’s police operations in a bid to curb crime.
“We are here with a large presence in DC following the president’s announcement on Monday,” one ICE source said. “You will be seeing a larger presence around the city as we make DC safe again.”
That heightened visibility was on display Wednesday night, when ICE agents set up a checkpoint along 14th Street NW. The move quickly attracted a group of protesters, some of whom confronted officers with questions and criticism, while others urged drivers to avoid the area altogether, according to Fox News.
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