How many fatal shootings or uses of lethal force by immigration agents were reported under the Trump administration in 2025–2026?
Executive summary
Reporting on lethal force by U.S. immigration agents during the Trump administration’s 2025–2026 enforcement surge is inconsistent but converges on a stark picture: multiple shootings by ICE and other DHS officers were documented (16 to at least 28 incidents, depending on the tracker) and sources count between four and eight deaths from those shootings, while 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025 from causes beyond on-scene shootings [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. How the counts diverge: incidents versus deaths
News outlets and aggregators use different denominators — some count only shootings by ICE, others include Border Patrol/CBP or all DHS immigration agents — producing different totals: The Guardian and regional reporting identified 16 shooting incidents involving ICE agents in the period under review (often described as “ICE agents shot at people 16 times”) [3], local broadcaster KCRA also tracked 16 shooting incidents and reported those led to four deaths and at least seven injuries [1], while a running Wikipedia compilation that aggregates media reporting counted at least 28 shootings by immigration agents since January 20, 2025 and attributed eight deaths to those shootings [2].
2. What counts as “lethal force” matters — and is disputed
Some trackers restrict “lethal force” to shootings that resulted in death on the scene; others include shootings that wounded people or incidents where officers fired at vehicles or into crowds and later deaths may be attributed differently; still others group deaths in custody (medical or other causes) separately. The Guardian and other outlets explicitly separate the 16 shootings from the 32 deaths that occurred in ICE custody in 2025 [3] [4], while data aggregators like The Wall Street Journal and Wikipedia note additional incidents — including shots fired at moving vehicles — that add to the count but not uniformly to the death total [2].
3. High-profile fatalities and government response
At least two high-profile on-scene fatal shootings by ICE received national attention: the fatal shooting of Renée (Renee) Nicole Good in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026, which multiple outlets reported as an ICE officer killing a driver and prompted nationwide protests [5] [6] [7] [8], and other deaths reported in January 2026’s Minneapolis operations, including reporting of an Alex Pretti killing tied to confrontations [9]. Authorities and administration figures publicly defended agents’ use of force in some cases, and that posture shaped the political narrative even as investigations continued [10] [9].
4. Aggregate picture: best-supported numeric range
Given the variation in definitions and source coverage, the most defensible summary from the available reporting is this: media tracking and local reporting documented at least 16 shootings involving ICE agents (with at least four fatalities linked to those incidents in the KCRA count) [1] [3], while broader aggregations that include CBP and other DHS immigration officers report at least 28 total shootings since Jan. 20, 2025, with at least eight deaths resulting from those shootings [2]. Separately, 32 people died in ICE custody during 2025 from causes distinct from on-scene uses of lethal force [3] [4].
5. Limits of reporting, hidden agendas and why numbers may grow
Public tallies rely on news reporting, local investigators and NGO trackers rather than a single transparent federal database; the Trump administration’s moves to slow expansion of body-camera pilots and reduce oversight capacity invite undercounting or delayed accounting of force incidents [11]. Outlets with different editorial lenses emphasize either the spike in confrontations (Reuters, The Atlantic) or systemic custody deaths (The Guardian, Marshall Project), and advocacy or political actors have incentives to foreground either personal tragedy or institutional failure depending on their agendas [12] [10] [6].
6. Bottom line and what remains uncertain
Answering “how many fatal shootings or uses of lethal force by immigration agents were reported under the Trump administration in 2025–2026?” depends on scope: reported ICE shooting incidents number at least 16 (with at least four deaths in one contemporaneous tracker) [1] [3], broader DHS/immigration-agent trackers list at least 28 shooting incidents with at least eight deaths [2], and an additional 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025 from other causes [4]. Available sources do not provide a single, reconciled federal tally that resolves these discrepancies [11].