Assaults on ICE Officers Surge 1,600 Percent, Vehicular Attacks 8,000 Percent
Sanctuary policies continue to jeopardize public safety while providing safe haven for violent illegal aliens.
After the arrest and shooting of a criminal illegal alien in New York City, top Trump administration officials have released comments on the dangers of sanctuary policies. They have also released figures showing a sharp increase in assaults against ICE officers and agents that have occurred amid heightened law enforcement efforts.
There has been a 1600 percent increase in physical assaults and an 8,000 percent increase in vehicle assaults, according to a press release from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. These figures were released after ICE agents acted in self-defense during an encounter with a criminal illegal alien who refused to comply with the orders of law enforcement.
ICE officers arrested the individual, Oscal Bergal, a criminal illegal alien and associate of the Trinitario street gang in Bronx, NY, on October 8, the press release said.
ICE officers in New York used their vehicles to conduct a stop of the vehicle Bergal was driving on the afternoon of October 8 after those officers positively identified him. But Bergal proceeded to ram the ICE vehicles with his vehicle, and it "appeared that he intended to strike officers on foot," according to the release. The ICE agents believed they were in imminent danger of serious injury or death. For this reason, one ICE officer discharged his firearm in self-defense, striking Bergal.
"Bergal refused lawful orders to exit his vehicle. He then accelerated his vehicle smashing into two of our ICE vehicles. He then weaponized his vehicle and proceeded to accelerate his vehicle toward other officers," said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Executive Associate Director Marcos Charles. "Our officer, believing that their life, the lives of their partners and the lives of the general public were in danger, used their training and fired their weapon."
Bergal’s criminal history includes a conviction for grand larceny. His arrest by NYPD officers on December 7, 2023, was for “Robbery-1st: Forcible Theft Armed with A Deadly Weapon,” the press release said. "Bergal pled guilty to the lesser charge of Grand Larceny 4th: Property Taken From Person. He was then sentenced to five years’ probation."
In addition, the release states, Bergal "has active charges in New York … for multiple counts of robbery, assault, larceny, weapons possession, possession of stolen property, and dangerous drugs. Twice in January of 2026 the state of New York issued two protection orders against Bergal on Jan. 29, 2026. Both remain active."
During this encounter with ICE, Bernal was struck by a bullet in the neck and sustained what was described as a "superficial injury." After receiving medical care at a local hospital, he was released with non-life-threatening injuries and remains in ICE custody.
"Sanctuary politicians create an environment for criminal activity to thrive, not for American citizens be safe," said Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin in comments after the incident. "President Trump made it very clear that he was going to restore law and order in our cities, in our towns, and in our states, in spite of sanctuary politicians that put criminals in front of law-abiding citizens. Sanctuary cities and politicians endanger the safety of the public. That is not a secret. That is exactly what takes place.”
The arrest of Bergal closely follows another incident on October 2 where two criminal illegal aliens stabbed NYPD Detective Jose Mercedes seven times during an attempted robbery in the Bronx. The two men accused of attacking Mercedes are Dominican. Both entered the United States illegally with extensive criminal histories and were released into the country during the Biden administration.
Why It Matters
- Sanctuary politicians have repeatedly used heated rhetoric against ICE agents, putting those agents in great danger. For example, Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) of New Jersey has described ICE agents as "proto-militia" and an "unaccountable militia" in her public statements. Sherrill has also falsely accused ICE agents of "inciting tensions" at the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, without informing the public about the dangerous nature of the criminal illegal aliens incarcerated in the facility.
- As Mullin said in the ICE press release, "The men and women of ICE and DHS are out there every day enforcing our nation's laws. We are not picking and choosing which laws to enforce like the sanctuary politicians. We are enforcing our nation’s laws. Why is that controversial? We should all want law and order on our streets."
- The Restoration News IllegalAlienCrimes.com database demonstrates how, under President Joe Biden, America was becoming a third-world battlefield by welcoming child rapists and murderers into the nation. Restoration News uncovered 51,942 crimes committed by illegal aliens between 2021 and 2024.
How We Fix It
- Participation in the 287(g) program that enables local and state officials to partner with federal agents for purpose of enforcing federal immigration should be encouraged and promoted. At the same time sanctuary policies should be terminated.
- The Trump White House has reported on a huge drop in violent crime tied with stricter immigration enforcement. Any disruption in this effort could reverse these encouraging trendlines.
- A new partnership between the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made it easier for law enforcement to identify and root out the issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) to illegal aliens.
Between January 2025 to September 2026, ICE lodged 14,766 immigration detainers in the state of New York. The detainers are for individuals who are locked up with criminal backgrounds. ICE has asked New York to honor the detainers so the illegal aliens are not released back onto the streets. But it is not clear whether New York will comply with the request.
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