FBI Stops Investigating Assault Claims Against ICE Agents

FBI managers nationwide received written notice on July 16, 2026 that the bureau would stop investigating reports that federal immigration agents were assaulted during enforcement encounters, according to reporting by The New York Times. The change would leave Homeland Security Investigations, a unit within ICE, to investigate assault claims involving its own agents. The notice followed a stretch in which ICE agents fatally shot people in Maine and Texas amid disputed accounts of the encounters.

Handing self-investigation authority to the same agency involved in a use-of-force incident removes an independent check that has occasionally produced evidence used against federal agents. Watchdog groups argue the shift reduces accountability at a moment when ICE shootings and aggressive tactics are drawing increased scrutiny.

The Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security issued a joint statement denying that any change in investigative practice has occurred, saying the FBI "will continue to investigate in accordance with agency policy." The discrepancy between the reported directive and the official denial remains unresolved.