Hi Reader,
When government oversight is absent, independent journalism steps in.
One example: Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s use of force in deportation arrests.
ICE agents are smashing car windows to arrest those inside — something they rarely did before. Use-of-force experts and former ICE insiders say there is no known policy change greenlighting agents’ smashing of windows. But there are arrest quotas, and they are increasingly aggressive.
Our reporters noticed the trend and started digging. We combed through social media posts, local news and legal filings and turned up nearly 50 documented instances of immigration agents breaking vehicle windows in the first six months of President Donald Trump’s second administration. We found just eight in the previous decade.
We saw ICE officers:
- Breaking car windows while children sobbed inside.
- Smashing glass next to a pregnant woman.
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Dragging people out of cars who don’t have a criminal record.
- Shattering windows to arrest U.S. citizens.
- Breaking into cars of people who weren’t even ICE targets.
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Arresting bystanders who were filming car windows being smashed.
- Using a baton to break a rear window of a white pickup truck, taking the driver to the ground and pressing his head forcefully into the asphalt. The man, last seen in the video bleeding from the head, has not been identified.
We also found that some officers who break glass aren’t being disciplined — they’re being promoted. Government officials declined to address our findings, and ICE says its officers use a “minimum amount of force” when making arrests. Because we believe in transparency, our story compiled videos of these incidents, so that readers can see this “minimum amount of force” for themselves.
When change is sweeping and rapid, we know readers need a trusted news source that will take a step back from the breaking news cycle and carefully document the context and the consequences. ProPublica is committed to helping readers understand this pivotal moment in our nation’s history, and to chronicling the effects of what promises to be a drastic change in the role of the federal government in all of our lives. This work is made possible by donations. Reader support ensures that we have the resources to continue this critical work. Join us.
Thanks so much,
Megan Martenyi
Proud ProPublican
