FBI to Step Back From ICE Assault Investigations Amid Scrutiny of Agent Shootings: Report

FBI investigators work the scene of an alleged ICE involved shooting in Biddeford, Maine, on July 13, 2026. A person was killed Monday in a shooting involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in the northern US state of Maine, an official said. The incident comes after an ICE agent last week shot dead a Mexican man during an operation in Houston, Texas. Authorities alleged that he tried to run over a federal officer, a claim denied by witnesses. (Credit: Photo by Joseph Prezioso / AFP via Getty Images)

A New York Times report says the FBI has instructed agents around the country that it will no longer investigate certain confrontations involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, a shift that could reduce independent scrutiny of immigration officers accused of misconduct.

According to the news site, the change would affect assault-on-federal-officer investigations, which can produce evidence relevant to potential prosecutions of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents involved in violent encounters.

The Justice Department and DHS disputed the report in a joint statement, saying, "The relationship between D.H.S. and D.O.J. in investigating assault on federal officer cases has not changed, and F.B.I. will continue to investigate in accordance with agency policy." The agencies added that "anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

This is FALSE. The relationship between DHS and @TheJusticeDept in investigating assault on federal officer cases has NOT changed, and @FBI will continue to investigate in accordance with agency policy. This administration has been clear, anyone who assaults law enforcement will… https://t.co/Z0qBJTCTW8

— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) July 19, 2026

An FBI logo is pictured on an agent's shirt in the Manhattan borough of New York City IBT

According to The New York Times, people briefed on the internal guidance said responsibility for those investigations would instead likely shift to Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE division. Because HSI lacks jurisdiction to investigate civil rights violations, the newspaper reported that such a change could reduce independent oversight of shootings involving immigration agents.

The report comes as federal immigration enforcement faces renewed scrutiny following the fatal shootings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston and Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Maine, both killed by ICE agents during separate encounters. Federal officials later acknowledged that Salgado Araujo was not the intended target of the Houston operation.

A separate New York Times investigation published during the weekend found that the Trump administration has filed more than 550 assault-on-federal-officer cases tied to immigration enforcement, with nearly half of the more than 400 resolved cases ending in dismissals, acquittals, withdrawn charges or other outcomes favorable to defendants.

After reviewing court filings, hearing transcripts, videos and interviews, the newspaper reported that judges in multiple cases criticized prosecutors or federal agents for alleged misconduct, including withholding or destroying evidence and misrepresenting facts. DOJ and DHS defended the prosecutions, saying increased referrals reflect a rise in threats against federal officers and that prosecutors pursue cases based on the evidence.