In recent months, a disturbing trend has emerged across multiple U.S. states involving criminals impersonating immigration enforcement officers, particularly those associated with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These impersonators have committed a variety of serious crimes, including robberies, kidnappings, and sexual assaults, exploiting the heightened public profile of ICE to deceive and prey upon vulnerable individuals and communities. This alarming development was highlighted in a law enforcement bulletin issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in October 2025, which has raised concerns about public safety, trust in law enforcement, and the broader implications of federal policing practices.
The FBI bulletin, first reported by WIRED and obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests, details five specific incidents from 2025 involving fake immigration officers. These cases illustrate how criminals are leveraging the fear and confusion surrounding ICE’s activities to commit violent and exploitative acts. The bulletin urges law enforcement agencies nationwide to ensure that officers clearly identify themselves during operations and to cooperate with civilians who seek to verify an officer’s identity, including by allowing calls to local police precincts. It emphasizes the importance of distinguishing legitimate ICE operations from fraudulent ones, underscoring that the impersonation problem is a national law enforcement concern requiring coordinated responses.
One striking example cited in the bulletin occurred on August 7, 2025, in New York City. Three men wearing black vests claiming to be ICE agents entered a restaurant, tied up a worker, and forced a garbage bag over their head. Another individual, convinced by the impostors’ story, surrendered themselves only to be assaulted, tied up, and robbed of money from an ATM. Such brazen criminal acts highlight the dangerous consequences of these impersonations, which not only victimize individuals but also undermine community trust in actual law enforcement officers.
The FBI’s advisory recounts several other disturbing incidents across the country. In Bay County, Florida, a woman wearing a shirt with “ICE” printed on it deceived the ex-wife of her former boyfriend by saying she was there to detain her, before driving her to an apartment complex from which she later escaped. In Brooklyn, New York, a man posing as an immigration officer led a woman to a stairwell, where he assaulted her physically and sexually while stealing her phone. Similarly, in Raleigh, North Carolina, a man threatened a woman with deportation unless she had sex with him, showing a fake badge and business card to bolster his claim. These examples underscore the range of criminal behaviors facilitated by the ability to impersonate federal agents, from theft and violence to sexual abuse.
The FBI bulletin also identifies telltale signs of impersonation, such as forged or mismatched credentials, outdated protective gear, and cloned vehicle markings. It recommends that law enforcement agencies launch public outreach programs to educate communities about how to recognize and report fake ICE agents. Such efforts are seen not only as tools to prevent crime but also as ways to rebuild trust eroded by these impersonations.
A senior ICE official, speaking to WIRED, affirmed the agency’s commitment to prosecuting anyone caught impersonating federal immigration officers, emphasizing that such acts endanger public safety and damage the credibility of law enforcement. Federal regulations require immigration officers to identify themselves and state the reason for an arrest “as soon as it is practical and safe,” a standard in place since the 1990s. However, advocates argue that this requirement is increasingly ignored and that ICE’s growing use of armed, masked officers has complicated public perceptions and trust.
Alycia Castillo of the Texas Civil Rights Project explains that the increased presence of armed, masked federal agents disrupts trust in law enforcement, particularly as local police cooperate more closely with federal immigration authorities through programs like 287(g), which deputizes local officers to act in immigration enforcement. Castillo argues that when federal agents routinely conceal their identities, it creates an environment where anyone can don a mask and weapon without being expected to verify their authority, blurring the lines between lawful enforcement and criminal impersonation.
The use of masks and unmarked vehicles by ICE agents has been a contentious issue for some time. While the Trump administration previously framed mask-wearing as an officer safety measure, the policy remains controversial. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has defended the practice, stating that masks protect agents from retaliation by dangerous gangs and criminals and that decisions about mask use are left to field leaders. Similarly, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons acknowledged in a 2025 interview that