Is the ice list real
Executive summary
The ICE List is a real website and project that publicly publishes names and other information about Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol personnel; its founder, Dominick Skinner, and the site’s operators have said a DHS whistleblower provided a dataset of roughly 4,500 people which the site has begun to incorporate [1][2][3]. Major outlets and security reporting describe the site as an active “accountability” project hosted outside the U.S., and they report that the site has been the target of cyberattacks shortly after announcing plans to publish the leaked dataset [4][5][6].
1. What the ICE List says it is and who runs it
ICE List presents itself as an “open journalistic project” and a public, verifiable record of immigration enforcement activity created by Crust News and managed by a small team; the site’s public pages describe structured, sourced and timestamped entries intended for researchers and activists [1][7][4]. Founder Dominick Skinner, identified in multiple reports as a Netherlands-based activist, is the public face of the project and has told reporters the site uses AI tools to help verify identities and is run by a compact team [3][8][9].
2. The alleged leak and scope of data published
Reporting across outlets quotes Skinner and the site’s claims that a Department of Homeland Security whistleblower provided a dataset containing information on roughly 4,500 DHS, ICE and Border Patrol personnel — including about 2,000 frontline agents and thousands in support roles — and that the site had earlier maintained data on about 2,000 people prior to the alleged leak [2][10][11][3]. Coverage describes the data as containing names, work emails, phone numbers, job roles and résumé details, and notes the site also hosts a wiki to collect incidents and related materials [10][7].
3. Verification, methodology and contested claims
ICE List claims to use AI-assisted matching and to verify identifications through public records and social media, and El País and the site itself describe methods including photo matching and cross-referencing to public profiles [8][7]. Independent confirmation of the entire dataset’s provenance or accuracy beyond ICE List’s statements is not present in the provided reporting; outlets report the allegation of a DHS whistleblower but do not publish independent forensic proof of the source or full validation of every entry [2][11].
4. Reactions, legal risks and stated impacts
Law enforcement and DHS spokespeople warned that doxxing endangers officers and their families and said those responsible could be prosecuted, while ICE List framed the project as accountability and reform-focused; media reports capture both the agency’s safety warnings and the site’s stated mission to hold enforcement actors accountable [3][1][5]. Reporting also notes concerns about threats and retaliation reported by agencies after identities circulated, and legislative and advocacy responses around local cooperation with ICE are mentioned on the site’s wiki [12][7].
5. Cyberattacks, hosting and persistence
ICE List is hosted outside the U.S. and its founder said that after announcing plans to publish the leaked dataset the site suffered a distributed denial-of-service attack that he alleged originated from Russian IP addresses, a detail reported by multiple outlets and security commentators [5][4][6]. The site’s non-U.S. hosting has been framed by its operators as a measure against U.S. takedown attempts and by critics as complicating legal accountability [3][5].
6. Bottom line: is the ICE List “real”?
Yes — the ICE List exists as an operational website and wiki project that publishes information about ICE/BP personnel and enforcement incidents, is run by Dominick Skinner and associates, and has publicly claimed receipt of an alleged DHS leak of roughly 4,500 people’s records; multiple news outlets and security sites have reported these facts and the site’s attack and hosting circumstances [1][2][4]. However, independent public verification of the full dataset’s provenance and every entry’s accuracy is not provided in the material reviewed here, and DHS’s stated safety and legal objections remain part of the public record [2][3].