'You'll Answer in Hell': ICE Agents Face Fury From Their Own Families

Multiple family members of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have cut ties with their relatives over their role in federal deportation operations, according to a report published by Vanity Fair.

The magazine, which assigned pseudonyms to all those interviewed, reported that one man identified as Jake sent an email to his brother, a nearly decade-long ICE agent, telling him: 'You'll answer in hell for some of the atrocities you commit daily.' Jake had previously cut off contact with his brother after a dispute over his vote for President Donald Trump.

The report comes amid growing public backlash against ICE's enforcement operations under the Trump administration, particularly following the deployment of thousands of federal agents to Minneapolis under Operation Metro Surge. Two US citizens died during encounters with federal agents in that operation in January. Federal authorities said agents acted lawfully in both instances, which remain under separate investigations. Protests broke out across multiple US cities in the weeks that followed.

ICE Agents Excluded From Family Gatherings

Jake told Vanity Fair the killing of Alex Pretti during a confrontation with federal officers in Minneapolis had prompted him to sever the relationship. He said he had struggled to maintain family ties while watching the enforcement operations unfold on the news.

A Maryland resident identified as Carla said her family stopped inviting her uncle, an ICE agent, to Thanksgiving. Another woman, identified as Kim, said her uncle's work as an ICE officer had strained the family over the past year. She told the magazine she could not understand 'how somebody can make a living off of doing these horrible things to other people.'

Kim said that even when her uncle pointed to documentation showing those he deported had serious criminal records, she felt a disconnect between that claim and what she was seeing reported publicly.

Vanity Fair did not include responses from the agents themselves. ICE has not publicly commented on the report.

DHS Reports 8,000% Rise in Death Threats Against ICE Officers

The accounts align with data released by the Department of Homeland Security in January showing an 8,000% rise in death threats directed at ICE officers compared to the prior year. Assaults on agents increased by more than 1,300% over the same period, and vehicular attacks rose by 3,200%, according to DHS figures.

Among the cases cited by the agency was the arrest of a Mexican national in Dallas, Texas, who allegedly used TikTok to solicit the killing of ICE agents, offering $10,000 (£7,900) per officer. A separate case involved a threatening phone call made to the spouse of an ICE officer in Texas in which the caller invoked comparisons to the Nazi regime.

Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said agents were facing 'bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online.' She attributed the escalation in part to what she called the 'repeated vilification and demonisation tactics' of politicians in sanctuary jurisdictions.

ICE has previously stated that its officers conduct lawful enforcement operations and face increasing risks while carrying out their duties. The agency has deported roughly 540,000 people since Trump began his second term in January 2025, according to reporting by the Brookings Institution.