An Associated Press investigation reveals troubling patterns of abuse, corruption, and misconduct within Immigration and Customs Enforcement
At least 24 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees and contractors have been charged with crimes since 2020, according to a comprehensive review by The Associated Press. The documented wrongdoing includes patterns of physical and sexual abuse, corruption, and other abuses of authority. This troubling revelation comes as ICE has doubled its workforce to 22,000 employees in less than a year, raising serious questions about oversight, vetting, and accountability within an agency wielding enormous power over vulnerable populations.
The timing couldn’t be more critical. As ICE expands at an unprecedented pace following a $75 billion congressional allocation, experts warn that the agency may be repeating mistakes made by Border Patrol during its own rapid expansion—mistakes that led to widespread corruption and abuse.
The Scope of ICE Misconduct Revealed
The AP’s investigation examined public records involving ICE employees and contractors arrested since 2020. The findings paint a disturbing picture of an agency struggling with internal accountability.
Key findings include:
- At least 24 employees and contractors charged with crimes
- 17 individuals convicted of various offenses
- 6 cases still awaiting trial
- 9 arrests occurring in just the past year
According to the AP report, the crimes range from sexual abuse of detainees to accepting bribes, domestic violence, and corruption. What makes these cases particularly alarming is that many involve veteran ICE employees and supervisors, not just inexperienced new hires.
Patterns of Abuse and Violence
Sexual Misconduct and Physical Abuse
The AP review uncovered a disturbing pattern of ICE employees and contractors abusing vulnerable people in their custody.
In December, an ICE contractor pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a detainee at a Louisiana detention facility. Prosecutors revealed the man had sexual encounters with a Nicaraguan national over five months in 2025, instructing other detainees to act as lookouts.
A former official at an ICE contract facility in Texas was sentenced to probation in February 2026 after admitting he grabbed a handcuffed detainee by the neck and slammed him into a wall. Prosecutors had downgraded the charge from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Domestic Violence Cases
Samuel Saxon, a 20-year ICE veteran and assistant field office supervisor in Cincinnati, has been jailed since December on charges of attempting to strangle his girlfriend. A judge found that Saxon had abused the woman for years, fracturing her hip and nose and causing internal bleeding. The judge wrote that “the defendant is a volatile and violent individual.”
Corruption and Abuse of Power
Beyond violence, the AP investigation revealed systematic corruption within ICE ranks.
Bribery and Financial Crimes
A deportation officer in Houston was indicted on charges that he repeatedly accepted cash bribes from bail bondsmen. In exchange, he removed detainers ICE had placed on their clients who were targeted for deportation. He has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of accepting bribes.
Two Utah-based ICE investigators were sentenced to prison for stealing synthetic drugs known as “bath salts” from government custody and selling them through government informants, making hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Misuse of Authority
In Minnesota, Alexander Back, an ICE employment eligibility auditor, was arrested in November in a sting operation when he went to meet someone he thought was a 17-year-old prostitute. When arrested, he told police, “I’m ICE, boys.” He has pleaded not guilty to attempted enticement of a minor.
Another Minnesota ICE investigator pleaded guilty to sending images and videos of himself having sex with a 17-year-old girl, whose background he had searched in a law enforcement database.
The Dangers of Rapid Expansion
ICE announced in January 2026 that it had more than doubled in size to 22,000 employees in less than one year—an unprecedented hiring spree that experts say creates dangerous conditions for misconduct.
Lessons from Border Patrol’s Expansion
Gil Kerlikowske, who served as U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner from 2014 to 2017, warned that ICE is heading down a familiar path. When Border Patrol doubled in size to more than 20,000 agents over seven years ending in 2011, the agency was embarrassed by widespread corruption, abuse, and misconduct among new employees.
“Once a person is hired, brought on, goes through the training and they are not the right person, it is difficult to get rid of them, and there will be a price to be paid later down the road by everyone,” Kerlikowske said.
He recalled Border Patrol cases involving agents who accepted bribes to let drug-carrying vehicles enter the U.S. or who became involved in human trafficking. Kerlikowske believes ICE will face even more serious problems.
Unique Vulnerabilities
ICE agents are particularly “vulnerable to unnecessary use of force issues,” Kerlikowske explained, given that they conduct enforcement operations in public while facing protests. With the number of ICE detainees nearly doubling to 70,000 since last year, employees and contractors overseeing them face challenging conditions that create more opportunities for misconduct.
David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, warned that ICE’s problems will be broader in scope than Border Patrol’s were. “The corruption and the abuse and the misconduct was largely confined in the prior instance to along the border and interactions with immigrants and border state residents. With ICE, this is going to be a countrywide phenomenon as they pull in so many people who are attracted to this mission,” Bier said.
The Accountability Gap
While Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that ICE “takes allegations of misconduct by its employees extremely seriously,” critics point to systemic problems with oversight and accountability.
Weakened Oversight Mechanisms
The Trump administration has emboldened agents by arguing they have “absolute immunity” for their actions on duty and by weakening oversight. One judge recently suggested that ICE was developing a troubling culture of lawlessness.
Vetting and Training Concerns
McLaughlin said most new hires had already worked for other law enforcement agencies and that their backgrounds were thoroughly vetted. However, the sheer speed of hiring—doubling the workforce in less than a year—raises questions about whether adequate vetting and training are possible at such a pace.
“America can be proud of the professionalism our officers bring to the job day-in and day-out,” McLaughlin said. Yet the documented cases suggest a different reality for at least some employees.
Recent High-Profile Cases
Off-Duty Incidents
Two ICE agents face charges for incidents outside Chicago while off-duty. One was charged in January 2026 with assaulting a 68-year-old protester who was filming him at a gas station. McLaughlin claimed the agent acted in self-defense.
Another was cited for driving drunk shortly after leaving work at a detention center with his government firearm in the vehicle.
Badge Abuse
In Florida, ICE officer Scott Deiseroth was stopped in August for driving drunk with his two children in the car. Body camera footage shows him trying to avoid charges by pointing to his law enforcement and military service. When that failed, he demanded to know whether one of the arresting deputies was Haitian and threatened to check the man’s immigration status.
“I’ll run him once I get out of here, and if he’s not legit, ooh, he’s taking a ride back to Haiti,” Deiseroth warned. He was sentenced to probation and community service and is on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.
The Human Cost
These aren’t just statistics or bureaucratic failures. Behind each case are real victims—detainees who were sexually abused, people who were physically assaulted while handcuffed, families torn apart by corrupt officials, and communities terrorized by agents who abuse their authority.
The immense power ICE officers exercise over vulnerable populations—people who often fear deportation, don’t speak English fluently, and lack resources to fight back—creates conditions ripe for abuse when oversight fails.
What Needs to Change
Stronger Oversight and Accountability
Independent oversight mechanisms must be strengthened, not weakened. The argument for “absolute immunity” for ICE agents undermines accountability and sends a message that misconduct will be tolerated.
Slower, More Careful Hiring
The breakneck pace of hiring makes thorough vetting nearly impossible. Quality must take precedence over quantity when building a law enforcement agency with such significant power over people’s lives.
Transparency and Reporting
The public deserves regular, transparent reporting on misconduct allegations, investigations, and outcomes. The fact that it took an AP investigation to reveal these patterns suggests ICE isn’t being forthcoming about internal problems.
Cultural Reform
As one judge suggested, ICE may be developing a culture of lawlessness. Changing that culture requires leadership committed to accountability, training that emphasizes constitutional rights and ethical conduct, and consequences for those who abuse their authority.
The AP investigation reveals a troubling pattern of criminal misconduct within ICE at precisely the moment the agency is expanding at an unprecedented rate. With at least 24 employees and contractors charged with crimes since 2020—including sexual abuse, corruption, violence, and abuse of authority—the warning signs are clear.
History shows us what happens when law enforcement agencies expand too quickly without adequate oversight. Border Patrol’s experience should serve as a cautionary tale, not a blueprint to repeat.
As ICE doubles its workforce and detention capacity, the American people must demand accountability, transparency, and reform. The power to detain and deport is an enormous responsibility that requires the highest standards of conduct and oversight.
What You Can Do:
- Contact your congressional representatives and demand stronger ICE oversight
- Support organizations working for immigrant rights and government accountability
- Stay informed about immigration enforcement in your community
- Share this story to raise awareness about these critical issues
The stakes are too high, and the vulnerable populations affected deserve better. We must ensure that those entrusted with enforcement authority are held to the highest standards—not granted immunity from accountability.
