How many shootings by ICE agents were recorded between 2009 and 2016, according to independent investigations?
Executive summary
Independent reporting in the provided sources does not supply a definitive count of shootings by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents between 2009 and 2016; available investigations and summaries in these materials focus on shootings from 2015 forward and on systemic patterns rather than enumerating every incident in the 2009–2016 window [1] [2]. Wired’s investigation identified “at least 25 people killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shooting since 2015,” but that figure begins in 2015 and therefore cannot be used alone to establish a 2009–2016 total [1].
1. What the question actually asks and why the available reporting falls short
The user asks for a discrete tally of ICE-agent shootings that occurred between 2009 and 2016 as recorded by independent investigations; that requires sources that catalog incidents across that specific multi-year span and that are explicit about methodology and cutoffs, which the supplied reporting does not provide [1] [2]. The items provided concentrate on high-profile Minneapolis and Portland shootings in 2026, retrospective investigations into recent years, and thematic pieces about ICE-use of force, so they lack a comprehensive, independently compiled dataset covering 2009–2016 [3] [2].
2. What the sources do report about ICE shootings and investigative patterns
Long-form investigations and watchdog reporting cited here emphasize recurring deadly-force incidents involving immigration agents and chronic difficulties in obtaining prosecutions or transparency: Wired’s reporter states she spent four years investigating ICE shootings across administrations and reports a minimum count starting in 2015 of people killed by ICE agent shootings, highlighting investigative gaps and rare criminal indictments [1]. The Marshall Project piece frames the Minneapolis killing as part of a pattern of repeated deadly-force incidents by immigration agents and underscores systemic scrutiny rather than offering a year-by-year public log for 2009–2016 [2]. Independent outlets repeatedly note that federal investigations into agent-involved shootings rarely lead to criminal charges and that results are seldom fully public, complicating accurate historical counts [1] [4].
3. What can and cannot be concluded from the numbers offered
Because Wired’s “at least 25” figure explicitly begins in 2015, it cannot be extrapolated backward with confidence to cover 2009–2014; doing so would risk misrepresenting the independent investigations’ stated scope [1]. None of the other provided snippets supply a clear tally of incidents or a curated list spanning 2009–2016; Wikipedia lists and contemporaneous coverage in 2026 focus on naming agents or describing singular events rather than enumerating an eight-year period [5] [6]. Likewise, reporting about investigative friction and recent shootings illustrates procedural and transparency obstacles that likely impede any straightforward independent accounting for the 2009–2016 period [7] [4].
4. Alternative sources and methodological hurdles that matter
A reliable answer would require access to an independent database or peer-reviewed investigation specifying date ranges and inclusion criteria (for example, whether nonfatal shootings, Border Patrol versus ICE, and state-vs.-federal investigations are counted) — materials not present here [1] [2]. The legal reality that federal shooting inquiries are often closed without public charges and that records are fragmented between DHS, DOJ, local prosecutors, and journalists creates opaque gaps for years like 2009–2016; several sources explicitly document these systemic reporting and accountability limits [1] [4].
5. Bottom line
Based on the reporting supplied, it is not possible to state how many shootings by ICE agents occurred between 2009 and 2016 according to independent investigations because the cited independent investigations and summaries either start their counts in 2015 or do not provide a dedicated 2009–2016 tally; Wired reports at least 25 deaths since 2015 but offers no comprehensive 2009–2016 figure, and other pieces describe patterns and single-case scrutiny without enumerating that eight-year span [1] [2] [3]. To produce a precise number would require consulting an explicit independent dataset or investigative series that covers 2009–2016, which is not present in the supplied sources.