Correcting the Record: Confronting Lies about Immigration Officers

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are being unfairly demonized and targeted as politicians and activists stoke public outrage. False and misleading claims about immigration enforcement are repeated as fact, placing dedicated law-enforcement officers in harm’s way. We have to set the record straight—both for the safety of those who serve and the law-abiding citizens they protect.

MYTH #1: Being present in America illegally is a civil, not a criminal offense.

TRUTH: 8 U.S. Code § 1325 (a) is a federal criminal (not civil) code that establishes fines and/or jail time for crossing the border illegally. A person can be imprisoned for up to six months for a first-time offense or for up to two years for subsequent offenses. Under the criminal code, offenders can also be subject to civil penalties.

Entering the U.S. legally with a visa but then remaining in the country after it's expired is typically a civil penalty unless other violations are involved. Visa overstays are a small portion of the total illegal alien population. In fiscal year 2024, there was an estimated 427,000 overstays, a rate of less than 1 percent of all visas issued.

It’s flagrantly deceptive for politicians to parrot the narrative that illegal immigration is just a civil offense when tens of millions of criminals have invaded America’s borders.

MYTH #2: The federal government has no right to be in cities where they aren’t welcome.

TRUTH: The federal government wants to work with local and state law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws. Unfortunately, sanctuary cities like Minneapolis refuse to cooperate with ICE. In conservative cities and counties across the nation, when an illegal alien is arrested for a crime, local law enforcement notifies ICE, and a detainer is issued for the criminal. Since unlawful presence is a federal offense, ICE handles enforcement and individuals are transferred to ICE custody upon release.

"Sanctuary cities" are localities that refuse to notify ICE. Instead, they release criminal illegal aliens back onto the streets, forcing ICE offices to hunt down these criminals—many of whom are child predators. In Minneapolis, protestors are interfering right now with these apprehensions to try to prevent criminal aliens from being deported.

One ICE agent expressed his frustration with the protestors, saying, “We are here to arrest a child sex offender and you guys are out here honking . . . that is who you are protecting.”

To avoid these confrontations, Minneapolis should cooperate with ICE and turn over criminals rather than putting them back on the streets.

MYTH #3: Immigration agents want to hide their identity behind masks because they don’t want to be accountable to the public.

TRUTH: ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel and their families are targeted by transnational criminal organizations and domestic extremist groups. In cities across America, bounties have been placed to incentivize violence against ICE and CBP personnel. Cartels have offered:

• $2,000 for details of federal agents including photos and family contact information.
• $5,000-$10,000 for kidnapping or non-lethal assaults on ICE/CBP officers.
• Up to $50,000 for the assassination of high-ranking officials.

ICE and CBP officers put their lives on the line to protect our nation. It’s unfortunate they must wear masks to protect themselves and their families, but otherwise they may be unwilling to serve.

MYTH #4: Undocumented individuals who’ve crossed the border are harmless, innocent people fleeing dangerous regimes.

TRUTH: It may be true that some who’ve come to America are seeking refuge, but they’ve still committed a crime by entering illegally. Sovereign borders matter. Without them the nation would be destroyed for everyone.

For two years, Restoration News has been documenting crimes committed by those who’ve entered illegally at IllegalAlienCrimes.com. Hundreds of thousands of horrific violent crimes have been committed by illegal aliens, and we’ve documented a portion of those. Child rape and DUIs are among the most prevalent crimes committed by military aged male illegal aliens in both small towns and big cities.

MYTH #5: U.S. citizens are being targeted, profiled, and arrested by ICE.

TRUTH: ProPublica wrote an article claiming that “more than 170 U.S. citizens have been held by immigration agents . . . and detained for days.” Yet, the article admits that around 130 of those were arrested for interfering with or assaulting officers. While it’s unknown why the other 40 citizens were arrested or detained, the issue must be put into perspective. In 2025 over 595,000 people were arrested or detained by ICE. Even if 40 of those were improperly arrested—which hasn’t been verified—that’s less than 0.0067 percent.

Much to the Left's dismay, there is no evidence whatsoever that immigration agents are profiling American citizens seeking to arrest them. While the Supreme Court has ruled that ICE can use specific criteria to profile individuals to help determine if they are illegal aliens, there is no indication that is happening.

Over 50 percent of Border Patrol agents are Hispanic or Latino. The narrative that CBP is arresting people based on racism is absurd. A U.S. citizen has a higher chance of being struck by lightning than mistakenly arrested by ICE.

MYTH #6: President Trump’s rhetoric is causing the violence in Minnesota.

TRUTH: While President Trump is backing federal law enforcement officers in Minnesota, local and state officials inflame dangerous rhetoric.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey gave a press conference and said, “To ICE, get the f*ck out of Minneapolis.” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz further inflamed rioters by claiming ICE is “kidnapping innocent people with no warning and no due process.” Walz continued saying, “It’s a campaign of organized brutality against the people of Minnesota by our own federal government.”

Minneapolis Rep. Ilhan Omar called ICE’s presence in the city “a violent occupation . . . terrorizing communities.” She cursed America referring to it as the “U.S. G*dD**n States.”

Yet, those same leaders failed to condemn rioters when they stormed a St. Paul Baptist church on Jan. 18. One of the protestors was even an elected school board leader in the city.

Up until the Biden administration, both Democrats and Republicans believed in the importance of a secure border and deporting illegal aliens. In 2014 President Obama said:

Families who enter our country the right way and play by the rules watch others flout the rules. Business owners who offer their workers good wages and benefits see the competition exploit undocumented immigrants by paying them far less. All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.

The Trump administration offered a compassionate way out for those who’ve violated the nation’s laws. Up until the end of 2025 they could have received $3,000 and travel assistance back to their home country if they self-deport.

Sanctuary cities must be banned, and ICE must be equipped and permitted to do their job of enforcing the nation’s laws.

(READ MORE: The Anti-ICE Revolution Shares an Office in Minneapolis)