Have any ice protesters been actually violent?

1. Documented assaults and an official surge in attacks

The Department of Homeland Security reported a sharp increase in assaults on ICE personnel in 2025 compared with 2024 — figures the agency presented as a more than 1,150–1,300% rise depending on the timeframe cited, with DHS totals of 238–275 reported assaults in 2025 versus 19 in 2024 in overlapping windows ^{[2] [5] [6]}. Those DHS figures are the central piece of evidence officials use to argue that violence against agents has escalated alongside protests ^{[2] [5]}.

2. FBI and court files: individual actors and small groups responsible for many violent acts

The FBI’s internal reporting and subsequent press coverage portray attacks on ICE as principally perpetrated by individuals or small groups rather than by a disciplined movement-wide campaign, and notes that recent incidents represent an escalation beyond earlier property damage to include assaults and attempted attacks ^[1]. Investigations and court records reviewed by journalists indicate many alleged attacks resulted in no reported injury, complicating a simple tally of physical harm ^[1].

3. On‑the‑ground reports: violence at some demonstrations, but large peaceful turnouts too

Mainstream news coverage of nationwide protests after high‑profile ICE shootings documented both mass peaceful participation and episodes of confrontation: Reuters described massive turnout and organizers scheduling rallies to end before nightfall to reduce risk of violence ^[7], while Wikipedia and other reporting note that “some violence occurred” but most protests were peaceful ^[4]. Civil‑liberties groups like the ACLU explicitly described organized “overwhelming peaceful actions” in their national campaign opposing ICE ^[3].

4. The kinds of violent incidents reported: threats, vehicles, projectiles and shootings

Descriptions across outlets cite a range of violent behavior tied to anti‑ICE activity: protesters surrounding federal vehicles and making death threats in Minneapolis (reported by Fox and others) and isolated instances of fireworks, vandalism and an alleged shooting connected to an ICE facility protest in Texas ^{[8] [1]}. Investigations by The Trace and The Guardian catalogued incidents where federal agents fired less‑lethal munitions during protests and where agents were shot or shot at during enforcement actions; those trackers also found several incidents occurring during protests ^{[9] [10]}.

5. Competing narratives and implicit agendas shape the numbers

DHS and partisan outlets emphasize the spike in assaults to argue that rhetoric and sanctuary policies have fueled attacks on officers ^{[2] [5]}, while civil‑liberties groups and investigative reporters emphasize mass peaceful protest, questioning some official characterizations and highlighting law‑enforcement use of force and deaths in custody that prompted the demonstrations ^{[3] [7] [10]}. The FBI framing of anti‑ICE activity as domestic terrorism by isolated actors also carries policy implications for surveillance and enforcement priorities ^[1].

6. What the sources do — and do not — establish

Taken together, the sources establish that: (a) there were documented violent incidents involving people protesting ICE, including assaults, threats and episodic property damage; (b) federal trackers and DHS tallied a marked increase in assaults on ICE personnel in 2025; and (c) most mass demonstrations reported by civil‑liberties groups and many news outlets were peaceful or planned as nonviolent ^{[2] [5] [9] [3] [4] [7]}. The available reporting does not allow independent adjudication of every individual allegation, nor does it settle debates over intent, proportionality of law‑enforcement responses, or how many DHS‑reported “assaults” involved serious injury versus threats or minor confrontations ^{[1] [6]}.