Federal immigration officers have shot 11 people since September, with the majority of incidents involving officers firing into cars-a tactic that law enforcement authorities have spent decades trying to curb.
The vehicle shootings raise concerns about the rapidly expanding deployment of Department of Homeland Security personnel into American communities. Officers are regularly captured on video clashing with immigrants who are in the country illegally as well as citizens who protest the arrests.
“The shootings are not one-offs,” said Jim Bueermann, former police chief in Redlands, California, who now runs the Future Policing Institute. “This is clearly developing into a pattern and practice of how they deal with people in the enforcement of immigration laws, and to me that’s the most alarming thing we’re seeing.”
DHS maintains that in each case, officers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection believed their lives were in danger. In several incidents, officers were injured.
“The pattern is NOT of law enforcement using deadly force. It’s a pattern of vehicles being used as weapons by violent agitators to attack our law enforcement,” said Tricia McLaughlin, DHS Assistant Secretary. “Dangerous criminals-whether they be illegal aliens or U.S. citizens-are assaulting law enforcement and turning their vehicles into weapons to attack law enforcement.”
The 10 shootings detailed by News Of Losangeles show varied circumstances across the country as ICE and CBP officers conduct President Donald Trump’s campaign to crack down on immigrants. The effort has unleashed thousands of officers who are raiding homes and workplaces, approaching people in courthouses, immigration offices and stores, and stopping people on the street. A protest movement has grown to resist the operations, leading to confrontations.
The people who were shot include suspected criminals, immigrants who lack permanent legal status and U.S. citizens. Three died. It is not clear how many of the shootings federal authorities have fully investigated. There have been no public reports of any findings, including whether the gunfire was deemed justified or whether officers have been disciplined.
In at least four cases, people shot by agents have been charged with crimes. In two of those cases, the charges were later dismissed.
A Pattern of Vehicle Shootings
Firing on cars is the common thread. In seven cases, officers said they shot because a car was moving and they believed it posed a threat.
Chris Burbank, former police chief in Salt Lake City who has helped the Justice Department investigate agencies suspected of civil rights abuses, said it was unsettling to see repeated cases of federal immigration officers firing on drivers. Since at least the 1990s, police departments have tried to curb such shootings by adopting new standards guiding how officers deal with motorists.
The movement was largely driven by cases in which people were needlessly injured or killed because officers said they were afraid they were going to get run over.
The new guidelines have been published by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Police Executive Research Forum, a nonprofit organization that studies policing nationwide, and adopted by many police departments. They aimed to prevent officers from positioning themselves in front of or behind vehicles and sought to limit when an officer was allowed to open fire.
DHS has been a focus of that effort. In 2013, the Police Executive Research Forum released a report that indicated CBP officers were deliberately putting themselves in the paths of cars, “exposing themselves to additional risk and creating justification for the use of deadly force.” The group recommended teaching officers that shooting at a car is dangerous and should be avoided and to adopt policies restricting it.
DHS’ current policy prohibits officers from firing at moving vehicles, unless they have “reasonable belief” that the drivers pose imminent threats of death or serious injury. Officers should consider the hazards of out-of-control cars, the policy says.
Burbank questioned whether officers were being trained on that policy. “There is not a lot of training, not a lot of accountability going on, and you have the feeling of ‘do your jobs at all costs,'” he said. “That’s a really difficult situation to put any law enforcement in, because it takes away your ability to de-escalate.”
DHS Defends Officer Training
Homeland Security officials have forcefully defended their officers, saying they are increasingly in danger, facing a steep uptick in attacks and violent protesters.
“Officers are highly trained in de-escalation tactics and regularly receive ongoing use of force training,” McLaughlin said. She said officers are also trained to use “the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve dangerous situations and to prioritize the safety of the public and our officers.”
DHS requires every use of force incident and any discharge of an ICE firearm to be reported and reviewed. All shootings are examined by “an appropriate law enforcement agency,” McLaughlin said. Those investigations are then followed by an internal ICE review.
DHS has not provided updates on any internal investigations into the shootings. The FBI, which is reviewing at least some of the encounters, said it does not talk about its investigations.
The Shootings Since September
Here are the 10 detailed cases:
Franklin Park, Illinois – September 12, 2025
- Who was shot: Silverio Villegas González was killed
- Who fired shots: Unnamed ICE officer
- Description: Villegas González, 38, an immigrant from Mexico living in the U.S. illegally, was pulled over by ICE officers during a vehicle stop. Officers parked their Jeep in front of his car. DHS said Villegas González hit and dragged one of the officers, who opened fire. He crashed into a truck and died at the hospital.
Chicago – October 4, 2025
- Who was shot: Marimar Martinez was injured
- Who fired shots: CBP agent Charles Exum
- Description: Martinez, 30, a U.S. citizen, was driving when federal officials said she intentionally struck a vehicle belonging to Border Patrol agents. Exum fired about five shots. She was arrested but charges were later dismissed.
Los Angeles – October 21, 2025
- Who was shot: Carlitos Ricardo Parias was injured
- Who fired shots: Unnamed ICE officer
- Description: Parias, 44, a Mexican national, was boxed in by three government vehicles. Federal officials said he failed to comply with commands and tried to dislodge his vehicle. An officer opened fire, striking Parias in the arm. A bullet ricocheted and hit a U.S. marshal.
Phoenix – October 29, 2025
- Who was shot: Jose Garcia-Sorto was injured
- Who fired shots: Unnamed ICE officer
- Description: Garcia-Sorto, a Honduran in the U.S. illegally, was stopped around 4 a.m. DHS officials said he began to pull away when officers approached. An officer in the path of the vehicle discharged his weapon twice.
Ontario, California – October 30, 2025
- Who was shot: Carlos Jimenez was injured
- Who fired shots: Unnamed ICE officer
- Description: Jimenez, 25, a U.S. citizen, was driving when federal officials said he pulled up to immigration enforcement officers stopping another vehicle. They said he accelerated toward officers, who fired, striking him in the shoulder.
Starr County, Texas – December 11, 2025
- Who was shot: Isaias Sanchez Barboza was killed
- Who fired shots: Unnamed CBP agent
- Description: Barboza, 31, a Mexican national, was spotted wearing camouflage clothing on the riverbank. An agent reported an “active struggle” for about two minutes before opening fire at least three times.
Glen Burnie, Maryland – December 24, 2025
- Who was shot: Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins was injured
- Who fired shots: Unnamed ICE officer
- Description: Sousa-Martins, a Portuguese national who overstayed his visa, was in his van when ICE officers approached. DHS said he rammed the van into ICE vehicles and drove at officers, who opened fire.
Minneapolis – January 7, 2026
- Who was shot: Renee Good was killed
- Who fired shots: ICE officer Jonathan Ross
- Description: Good, 37, a U.S. citizen, was behind the wheel of an SUV when officers tried to get through. As she moved forward, Ross fired three times, striking her in the chest and head. She crashed and died.
Portland, Oregon – January 8, 2026
- Who was shot: Luis David Nino Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras were injured
- Who fired shots: Unnamed CBP agent
- Description: Nino Moncada, 33, a Venezuelan national, was targeted during an enforcement operation. Federal officials said he reversed and struck an unoccupied Border Patrol vehicle multiple times. An agent opened fire, hitting both occupants.
Minneapolis – January 14, 2026
- Who was shot: Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis was injured
- Who fired shots: Unnamed federal law enforcement officer
- Description: Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan who entered the U.S. illegally in 2022, fled during a traffic stop. During a struggle, two people attacked the officer with a snow shovel and broom handle. The officer fired, hitting Sosa-Celis in the leg.
