How many people have been shot by DHS
Executive summary
Reporting compiled by multiple news organizations finds that federal immigration agents operating under the Department of Homeland Security have been involved in dozens of gun-related incidents this term — with one nonprofit tracker identifying 29 enforcement incidents and 16 separate shootings as of 9 January 2026, resulting in four people killed and at least seven wounded — though advocates and trackers warn these counts are likely underestimates because federal use-of-force data is incomplete [1] [2] [3].
1. The numbers on the table: what reporters have counted
Investigations by The Guardian, WMUR and others that relied on media reports, Gun Violence Archive data and The Trace’s tracker tallied 29 incidents tied to immigration enforcement actions since July, including 16 incidents where agents shot at or shot people; those 16 shootings have been reported to produce four deaths and at least seven injuries [1] [2] [3].
2. Recent, high‑profile examples that shaped the tally
Two of the most publicized cases feeding those numbers were the Minneapolis incident in which an ICE agent fatally shot a woman identified in local reporting as Renee Nicole Good and a Portland traffic‑stop shooting in which a Border Patrol agent wounded two people — both episodes drew immediate DHS defenses that agents acted in self‑defense and provoked protests and disputes over the official narratives [4] [5] [6] [7].
3. How DHS, local officials and media disagree about context
DHS has repeatedly framed many of these shootings as defensive responses to vehicular assaults or attacks on agents, releasing statements and statistics emphasizing assaults on officers; local officials, journalists and watchdogs have at times disputed those descriptions, citing video footage, differing witness accounts and concerns about the rapid federal narrative that precedes independent investigations [8] [4] [9] [7].
4. Limitations in the data and why the count is likely an undercount
Independent trackers and researchers stress that official federal use‑of‑force reporting is fragmented: a Department of Homeland Security report noted only five ICE gun‑related use‑of‑force incidents in fiscal 2023, a figure that is not directly comparable to the tracker totals and highlights gaps in public federal data; The Trace and other nonprofits caution that media-based tallies undercount incidents that never reach reporting thresholds or are not disclosed [3] [2].
5. What the raw answer looks like today — and what caveats to attach
Based on the assembled reporting cited here, the best public answer as of early January 2026 is that immigration agents under DHS were publicly linked to 29 enforcement incidents and 16 shootings since July — those 16 shootings are reported to have caused four deaths and at least seven injuries — but this is a working total rather than a definitive, audited count because federal records are incomplete and independent trackers say not every use of force is publicly documented [1] [2] [3].
6. Competing narratives and the political stakes behind the tally
The raw count has become political ammunition: DHS and administration allies cite rising assaults on officers and rare but deadly attacks to justify broad enforcement operations, while civil‑rights groups, local officials and many journalists point to patterns, disputed details and transparency gaps to demand independent probes and restraint; both sides have incentives to frame the numbers to support enforcement or accountability agendas, which makes independent, forensic counting and open investigations essential to move beyond competing narratives [8] [9] [7].