The Department of Homeland Security says assaults against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel rose sharply during the current administration. DHS reported 647 assaults from January 20, 2025, through September 20, 2026, compared with 37 from January 20, 2021, through September 20, 2022.

Those are comparable 20-month windows. Using the department’s totals, the increase is about 1,649%. The figure is a DHS comparison, not an annual rate, and the department’s public announcement did not provide an incident-level table or a detailed methodology that would allow the total to be independently reproduced.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin attributed the increase to anti-ICE rhetoric and violent opposition to immigration enforcement. DHS cited threats, armed confrontations and physical attacks as examples, but its explanation for the broader increase is the department’s assessment rather than a separately established causal finding.

The department’s announcement included allegations as well as cases that had resulted in sentences. Charges and accusations in individual incidents do not establish guilt unless proved in court, and the reported assault total should not be read as a count of convictions.