The Department of Homeland Security warned Tuesday that Mexican criminal cartels have offered cash bounties for attacks on ICE and CBP agents. Credit: US Marshall Service – CC BY 4.0 via Flickr
The Department of Homeland Security warned Tuesday that Mexican criminal cartels have set bounties for attacks on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, some soaring up to $50,000. Through a statement, the DHS also said extremist and gang networks have helped carry out surveillance and violence against agents.
“These criminal networks are not just resisting the rule of law, they are waging an organized campaign of terror against the brave men and women who protect our borders and communities,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a department press release. “Our agents are facing ambushes, drone surveillance, and death threats […] We will not back down from these threats.”
DHS said it has obtained “credible intelligence” that cartels have put in place a “tiered” bounty system circulated to U.S.-based sympathizers, including street gangs in Chicago. The bounties described in the department release include $2,000 for gathering intelligence or doxxing agents, $5,000 to $10,000 for kidnapping or nonlethal assaults on rank-and-file officers, and as much as $50,000 for the assassination of high-ranking officials.
According to the DHS, cartels have deployed spotters to help set the bounties on ICE agents
The release said gangs such as the Latin Kings have deployed “spotters” on rooftops armed with firearms and radios to relay real-time movements of ICE and CBP personnel in neighborhoods, including Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village.
DHS also alleged that in Portland and Chicago, Antifa groups have provided logistical support, including pre-staged protest supplies and doxxing, to shield cartel-linked individuals from deportation. Two weeks ago, the Justice Department charged a member of the Chicago-based Latin Kings with placing a bounty on Greg Bovino, the CBP commander overseeing surge operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, DHS said.
Mexican drug cartels are offering bounties to shoot ICE officers in Chicago according to the Department of Homeland Security. NEWSMAX’s John Huddy reports. @JohnHuddyTV pic.twitter.com/P37gSdYRDn
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) October 15, 2025
The warning comes amid litigation over a planned National Guard deployment to Illinois to protect immigration-enforcement operations. A federal judge last week temporarily blocked the deployment, saying there was “no credible evidence” of a danger of rebellion in Illinois and that sending troops could provoke civil unrest.
The Trump administration continues to litigate for control over the National Guard
The Justice Department appealed, and an appeals court rejected part of the government’s challenge but permitted the federal government to maintain control of the state’s National Guard forces while the legal fight continues, according to news accounts.
DHS urged local officials to take reported threats seriously and called on sanctuary state and local leaders to change policies, as it “emboldens criminals.” The agency also urged the public to report suspicious activity to the DHS tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or via the ICE website.
The department said it would not be deterred by the threats and pledged to continue enforcement operations, in spite of Mexican cartels setting bounties on ICE agents.
