Fact check: What is the total number of ICE agents killed in the line of duty since 2020?

Executive Summary (direct answer up front)

The three primary documents supplied disagree on total counts and none explicitly state the number of ICE agents killed "since 2020." One source lists 29 total fallen ICE agents since the agency’s founding ^[1], while two other contemporaneous lists enumerate 25 fallen agents ^{[2] [3]}; none break out a clear subtotal for the 2020–present period, so the precise number of line-of-duty deaths since 2020 cannot be determined from the provided materials alone. The differences reflect variations in inclusion criteria and publication dates rather than a single authoritative tally.

1. Conflicting totals that demand scrutiny — why sources diverge

The available summaries show a clear discrepancy: one source reports 29 fallen ICE agents overall ^[1], while two others list 25 names each ^{[2] [3]}. These differences likely stem from counting rules, update timing, or inclusion/exclusion of certain categories (for example, whether 9/11-related illnesses, COVID-19, or administrative line-of-duty designations are included). The three analyses span publication dates from July 2023 to April 2025, so the lower counts could reflect older snapshots or differing editorial standards; the materials provided do not include a breakdown by year that would allow a direct calculation of deaths occurring specifically from 2020 onward ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

2. What the lists actually cover — names, dates, and causes but not a 2020 subtotal

Each of the documents described includes names, dates of death, and causes for individual fallen officers, and two explicitly enumerate 25 agents ^{[2] [3]}, while one lists 29 across the agency’s history ^[1]. However, none of the supplied analyses presents a precomputed count of line-of-duty deaths that began in 2020, nor do they offer a simple year-by-year table from which the post-2020 total could be reliably extracted. The absence of an explicit “since 2020” subtotal is the central gap preventing a firm answer from these sources alone ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

3. Timing matters — publication dates change the snapshot

The three primary records were published across a span from July 2023 to April 2025, and the two additional documents in the second batch are dated October and September 2025 ^{[4] [5] [6]}, underscoring that counts can change as new deaths are recorded or as historical deaths are reclassified. Because the lists do not provide a standardized cutoff date within the datasets reported, an apparent mismatch—25 versus 29—could reflect later additions, corrections, or different thresholds for inclusion. The supplied documentation does not resolve whether any deaths occurred in the 2020–2025 window beyond what appears on the lists ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}.

4. Causes and categories matter — why totals can shift without new fatalities

The materials note causes including 9/11-related illnesses, COVID-19, gunfire, and other incidents ^[2]. Agencies and memorial organizations sometimes revise counts when illnesses linked to earlier exposures (such as 9/11) are later classified as line-of-duty, or when COVID-19 cases are accepted as line-of-duty fatalities. Therefore, total tallies can move independently of new operational fatalities. The analyses supplied do not document the classification rules each list used, which prevents reconciling the 25-versus-29 discrepancy from within the provided corpus ^[2].

5. What can validly be concluded from the provided corpus

From the supplied materials, the only defensible conclusions are: one compilation lists 29 fallen ICE agents across the agency’s lifetime ^[1]; two other contemporaneous lists each show 25 fallen agents and detail causes like COVID-19 and 9/11 illnesses ^{[2] [3]}; and none of the documents publish a clear count “since 2020.” Therefore, the question “total number of ICE agents killed in the line of duty since 2020” remains unanswered by the available sources because the necessary year-by-year breakdown or a specific post-2020 subtotal is missing ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

6. Where to look next and what to request for a definitive figure

To determine an authoritative post-2020 total using these types of records, request a year-by-year line-of-duty list from official memorial or agency pages with dates of death and cause, or a direct count labeled “deaths by calendar year” from DHS or recognized memorial organizations. The supplied analyses indicate the Officer Down Memorial Page and DHS/ICE fallen-officer lists are relevant starting points ^{[2] [3]}, but a definitive answer requires cross-checking names and death dates to isolate entries from 2020 onward and clarifying inclusion rules for illness-related line-of-duty designations ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

7. Bottom line for the questioner — the factual gap and transparency needed

In short: based on the materials given, you cannot compute a verified total of ICE agents killed in the line of duty since 2020 because the sources either give overall historical counts or lists without a post-2020 subtotal, and they disagree on the overall number (25 versus 29) due to differing coverage or update timing. Obtaining an exact figure will require a reconciled roster with dates or a formal statement from DHS/ICE or a recognized memorial that explicitly reports deaths by year and spells out inclusion criteria ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}.