Criminals armed with fake badges, tactical vests and the language of federal authority are breaking down doors, robbing families at gunpoint and sexually assaulting immigrant women, while many victims are too terrified to call for help. Across the United States, a wave of violent crimes carried out by people posing as immigration agents is colliding with one of the most aggressive deportation campaigns in the country's modern history, and leaving terrified communities with nowhere to turn.
On 20 January 2025, the same night Donald Trump was sworn in for his second term and vowed the largest mass deportation campaign in American history, a group of armed men descended on a house in Greensboro, North Carolina. One hooded figure kicked open a bedroom door and screamed 'ICE! ICE!' before demanding cash at gunpoint. An immigrant's forehead was split open with a gun butt, requiring more than ten stitches and four staples. The assailants pointed a weapon at a baby as they robbed its parents. More than a year later, the case remains unsolved and no arrests have been made.
