Is ICE used the lrad on protesters
Executive summary
Available reporting shows LRADs (long‑range acoustic devices) have been used by police, National Guard units and other law‑enforcement elements at protests, and have drawn legal and civil‑liberties scrutiny, but there is no confirmed, documented instance in the provided reporting of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) specifically deploying an LRAD against protesters; social posts and speculation have suggested it could happen, but authorities did not confirm those claims in the cited coverage [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
1. What an LRAD is and how agencies frame its purpose
Manufacturers and some law‑enforcement agencies present LRADs as high‑fidelity, directional loudspeakers intended for long‑range communication, warnings and mass notification rather than as a kinetic weapon, and marketing material highlights their use to “maintain crowd order and distribute warnings” during recent protests [5] [6].
2. Documented users at protests: police, National Guard and municipal forces
Local police departments, National Guard vehicles and municipal law‑enforcement units have been photographed and reported deploying or standing next to LRADs at demonstrations — for example images and captions show law enforcement with LRADs at a January 26, 2026 protest in Maple Grove, Minnesota, and coverage describes LRADs appearing alongside National Guard deployments in unrest contexts [1] [7] [8] [2].
3. Where ICE fits into the public chatter — speculation, not confirmation
Social media posts and aggregated commentary have explicitly floated ICE as a possible LRAD operator in some incidents, but the reporting available to this analysis treats those claims as unverified and notes authorities had not confirmed which federal or state units were operating such equipment in those scenes; a Digg summary relayed that social posts suggested “Could be ICE agents,” while Hindustan Times coverage said there was “no confirmation” about LRAD use by the National Guard in Minneapolis [3] [2].
4. Health, legal and civil‑liberties concerns tied to LRAD deployment
Civil liberties groups and courts have raised alarms about LRADs’ risks: the ACLU has recommended suspending their use at protests due to potential health harms and limited study of sonic weapons, and a federal appeals court found that purposely using an LRAD in a way capable of causing serious injury to non‑violent protesters can violate constitutional protections against excessive force [6] [9].
5. How police justify LRAD use and how oversight responds
Police spokespersons and oversight offices often emphasize LRADs’ communication role and sometimes assert that harmful features (like high‑pitched alert tones) will be disabled or not used at crowd events, while local oversight bodies and watchdogs have said they are monitoring what models are purchased and how the devices are deployed [4] [6].
6. Bottom line on the central question — did ICE use an LRAD on protesters?
Based on the sources provided, there is no direct, sourced evidence that ICE specifically used an LRAD against protesters; the on‑the‑ground images and reporting show law enforcement and National Guard presence with LRADs (and social media speculated about ICE), but the cited news reports and image captions do not attribute LRAD deployment to ICE agents themselves and authorities had not corroborated those claims in the articles reviewed [1] [7] [8] [2] [3].