Exposing ICE Agents: Controversial Leaks Site Crippled by Sophisticated Russian Assault

A digital platform hosting sensitive data on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol staff has been disabled following a suspected Russian cyberattack. The site's creator reported the disruption shortly after the portal became a focal point for exposing federal agents' identities.

This interference marks a significant escalation in the tensions surrounding the publication of such controversial law enforcement records. A digital platform focused on exposing private details regarding Border Patrol agents and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers was allegedly targeted by a cyberattack that, according to its creator, likely came from Russia.

READ MORE: Is ICE Agent Jonathan Ross Going to Jail for Shooting Renee Good? DOJ Reportedly Declines Civil Rights Probe

READ MORE: Is the Trump Administration Protecting the Minneapolis ICE Shooter? DOJ Officials Resign in Protest

A Sophisticated Assault on Transparency

Speaking to The Daily Beast, Dominick Skinner, an immigration activist living in the Netherlands, explained that his ICE List site was hit by a digital assault on Tuesday night. The strike followed news reports that he intended to publish private data on thousands of staff members, provided by a whistleblower.

Known as a Direct Denial of Service, this method of assault involves an offender attempting to crash a service or network by inundating it with excessive traffic, effectively forcing the system to shut down.

Skinner explained to The Daily Beast that the portal was inundated with a large volume of IP addresses, with much of that activity seemingly tied to Russia—a connection that prompted him to suggest Russia as the source.

'The IPs would be run through proxies before hitting our servers, meaning it's just impossible to track the source,' Skinner told the publication. 'An attack lasting this long is sophisticated, though.'

Whistleblower Data and the Minneapolis Catalyst

According to Skinner, the disruption occurred while he was naming immigration law enforcement personnel whose details were part of a collection provided by a whistleblower.

In an earlier conversation with The Daily Beast, the creator of ICE List explained that he received a collection of records on roughly 4,500 immigration staff from a Department of Homeland Security whistleblower. This transfer of data followed the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good in Minneapolis.

The records contained details such as job titles, phone numbers, names, and email addresses, along with additional background information. Skinner mentioned his intention to reveal a 'majority' of these identities, though he would exclude anyone employed as a nurse or in a childcare role.

Government Backlash and Safety Warnings

The DHS hit out at the site, labelling it as 'disgusting doxxing of our officers' and claiming such actions put 'their lives and their families in serious danger.'

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for Homeland Security, stated that law enforcement personnel are dealing with a 1,300 per cent rise in physical attacks and an 8,000 per cent surge in threats against their lives. McLaughlin issued a warning that 'Their families are being threatened. We will not back down. Anyone who doxxes our officers will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.'

Resistance Beyond Borders

Since the ICE List is hosted within the Netherlands, the US government lacks the legal authority to seize it. According to Skinner, those targeting the portal are doing so because they 'don't want others to access the site.'

'But it just makes us more determined, because it is clear some people out there do not want the names of ICE and Border Patrol agents made public,' Skinner told The Daily Beast. 'Given their behavior lately, and how they are increasingly viewed negatively by the public, that's no surprise.'

While the creator of the ICE List confirmed that his team has implemented Direct Denial of Service safeguards, he admitted that such strikes are hard to block entirely and will likely recur.