U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) posted a series of tweets on January 16, 2026, detailing recent confrontations and incidents involving its officers and individuals described as "criminal illegal aliens." The posts, made from the agency's official account, addressed violent protests at a federal building, an increase in vehicle rammings against ICE officers, and a high-profile murder case.
In a tweet dated January 16, 2026 at 18:49 UTC, ICE reported disturbances at the Whipple Federal Building: "Yesterday, law enforcement at Whipple Federal Building faced violent anti-ICE agitators who threw objects, shouted profanities, and endangered the public by pouring water on the roads to create icy, hazardous conditions. After repeated warnings, 4 agitators were arrested for https://t.co/wXgIJh7mRh".
Later that day at 20:02 UTC, ICE highlighted what it described as a significant rise in vehicular attacks targeting its personnel: "Vehicle rammings against ICE are up over 3,000%. In San Antonio, criminal illegal alien Robyn Argote Brooks of Cuba attempted to plow through our officers and their vehicles. Outside of Dallas, criminal illegal alien Jerson Lopez-Sanchez of Honduras rammed his truck into ICE https://t.co/XL3shABQV3".
A subsequent post at 20:05 UTC detailed an immigration detainer lodged by ICE following charges in a double homicide case: "ICE lodged a detainer for Aristides Eli Orellana-Ramirez, a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador charged with MURDERING TWO TEENAGERS in southwest Charlotte, N.C. According to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, two individuals were shot Dec. 20, 2025, and later https://t.co/2xPrbbYdR6".
The referenced incidents come amid ongoing national debates about immigration enforcement practices and public safety concerns related to federal facilities. Protests outside immigration offices have been reported previously across various U.S. cities; these demonstrations often draw attention to policies regarding detention and deportation procedures.
Reports of vehicle rammings targeting law enforcement have raised alarms among officials responsible for officer safety. While such incidents remain rare compared to other types of assaults on police or federal agents nationwide according to FBI data on law enforcement fatalities (https://www.fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr/leoka), any sharp increase prompts internal reviews and calls for heightened vigilance.
Immigration detainers like those mentioned by ICE are administrative requests asking local law enforcement agencies to hold individuals believed to be removable under federal immigration laws. Such actions can become points of contention between federal authorities and so-called "sanctuary jurisdictions," which may limit cooperation with ICE due to legal or policy considerations.
