ICE Impersonation Reports Rise as White House Promotes Official Arrests Through Stylized Videos: Report

A new report by Harvard Political Review revealed that incidents of people impersonating U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have increased during President Donald Trump's second term, coinciding with the White House's promotion of immigration arrests through highly stylized videos and online messaging.

The report centers on a May 28 post published on the official White House website titled, "WATCH: ICE Tip Sparks EPIC Takedown of 5 Illegal Aliens Outside Home Improvement Store." The video shows three plainclothes ICE agents wearing tactical vests tackling and arresting a group of Latino men outside a retail store. One agent appears masked, and the vests display varying labels, including "Enforcement and Removal Operations" and "Police."

According to Harvard Political Review, such content turns routine enforcement actions into short-form media designed for online circulation. Beneath the video, the White House's Office of Digital Strategy added the caption, "One ICE Tip. Five Aliens Down," language the report says encourages members of the public to act as informants and reinforces a confrontational framing of immigration enforcement.

The publication argues that this approach, combined with the lack of standardized ICE uniforms and the increasing use of masks by agents, has contributed to a rise in impersonation incidents. Since January, multiple cases have been reported nationwide in which individuals falsely claimed to be ICE officers while committing crimes or threatening others.

One example cited involved a 54-year-old man who entered an auto repair shop in Northeast Philadelphia in June, declared himself an ICE agent, zip-tied an employee, stole cash, and fled. Prosecutors said he wore casual clothing, a labeled vest, and carried a firearm, closely resembling the appearance of agents shown in official videos.

An October report by CNN found at least two dozen ICE impersonation incidents documented in 2025, more than the total recorded across the previous four presidential terms combined. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner told CNN, "I've never seen cases involving the impersonation of ICE agents before Donald Trump won the second time."

Former FBI agent Mike German said at the time that the visibility of aggressive enforcement actions and the use of plain clothes make impersonation easier. "It's very easy for somebody to just play dress up and go out acting like these agents," he said.

ICE has said agents use face coverings to protect themselves from threats and doxxing and maintains that officers carry credentials and identify themselves during operations. The agency said it "strongly condemns the impersonation of its law enforcement officers," calling the practice illegal and dangerous.