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Fact check: What types of firearms are issued to ICE agents?
Executive Summary
The available documents show that a Department of Homeland Security product listing identifies a "556 Duty Rifle" and a "9mm Duty Handgun" as security products associated with DHS programs, which suggests those weapon types are among the firearms DHS makes available for enforcement components, but the listing does not definitively state that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issues them to all agents [1]. Major public ICE reports and multiple state and training documents examined do not explicitly enumerate standard-issue firearms for ICE agents, leaving official issuance policies unclear from the reviewed materials [2] [3].
1. A DHS product listing names likely duty weapons — but stops short of saying ICE issues them
A DHS “Security & Protection” product page dated November 2, 2025 lists a 556 Duty Rifle and a 9mm Duty Handgun among security products the department makes available, which reasonably indicates those calibers and platforms are standard within DHS procurement and supply chains [1]. The listing is framed as part of DHS security offerings rather than a personnel policy, so it does not function as an equipment-issuance order or an ICE-specific authorization. The presence of those model names in DHS materials does, however, align with common law enforcement inventories nationwide and suggests DHS components — potentially including ICE — have access to or purchase such firearms for operational needs [1].
2. ICE’s public annual report does not disclose weapon types issued to agents
ICE’s Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Report, published October 2, 2025, details enforcement operations, counterterrorism support, and removal activities but does not list specific firearms issued to ICE officers or agents [2]. The annual report emphasizes mission outcomes and resource categories without a catalog of standard-issue small arms, which means public-facing ICE documentation in that report does not resolve what weapons individual agents carry on patrol or during operations. The omission suggests either that weapons policy is documented elsewhere in internal directives or that public reporting focuses on outcomes rather than detailed equipment inventories [2].
3. State training and tactical-course documents reviewed offer no ICE-specific issuance data
Several state and training documents examined — including California regulations for concealed‑carry instructor programs and police tactical firearms course descriptions (dated January 2026), and Missouri continuing law-enforcement education requirements (March 2026) — provide no information on which firearms ICE issues to its agents [3] [4] [5]. These materials speak to qualifications, course curricula, and training logistics, sometimes noting that officers bring personal ammunition or firearms to training, but they remain focused on certification and proficiency standards rather than federal agency armament policies. Their absence of ICE-specific data highlights a gap between local training rules and federal issuance transparency [3] [4] [5].
4. News reporting on ICE budgets and CBP seizures contains relevant context but not definitive issuance lists
Reporting from September and October 2025 covering ICE procurement of vehicles and U.S. Customs and Border Protection weapons seizures provides context about border enforcement priorities but does not identify the standard-issue firearms for ICE personnel [6] [7]. The vehicle procurement stories illustrate budget allocation choices; the CBP seizure accounts document contraband interdictions; neither purports to catalog ICE armaments. These pieces demonstrate public interest in enforcement spending and border security outcomes but do not close the evidentiary gap about ICE’s uniform firearm issue practices [6] [7].
5. What can reasonably be concluded from these fragmented sources
Based solely on the reviewed documents, the best-supported claim is that DHS procurement materials list the 5.56-caliber rifle and a 9mm duty handgun among products the department fields, indicating those platforms are within the DHS supply ecosystem and likely used by some enforcement personnel [1]. There is no definitive public evidence in the examined ICE annual report or related state and media documents that ICE mandates those specific firearms for all agents, which leaves the question of formal issuance policies unresolved in publicly available materials [2] [3].
6. Missing information and where authoritative details likely reside
The reviewed sources make clear that official, detailed issuance policies are not present in broad public reports and training summaries; such specifics likely appear in internal ICE or DHS directives, procurement contracts, or agency arming policies not included in these documents [2] [1]. For a definitive answer, one would need a current ICE directive, law-enforcement arming policy, or procurement award documents that explicitly state authorized duty pistols and service rifles for particular ICE components. Those documents are not among the materials provided for this analysis, so the public record examined cannot fully settle the original question [1] [2].
7. Bottom line for readers seeking clarity now
Given the evidence reviewed, the most defensible public statement is that DHS lists a 5.56 duty rifle and a 9mm duty handgun among its security products, implying those types are available within DHS and plausibly used by enforcement components, but ICE-specific issuance is not documented in the ICE annual report or related training and news sources examined, leaving formal issuance policies indeterminate from these materials alone [1] [2] [3]. To move from plausible inference to confirmed fact, one must consult ICE’s internal armament directives or procurement records.