Dozens of ICE Agents Charged with Crimes, Raising Concerns

Misconduct includes physical and sexual abuse, corruption, and abuse of authority

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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A review by The Associated Press has found that at least two dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) employees and contractors have been charged with crimes since 2020, including patterns of physical and sexual abuse, corruption, and other abuses of authority. The rapid growth of ICE under the Trump administration has raised concerns that job applicants may not be getting enough vetting and training, leading to a troubling culture of lawlessness within the agency.

Why it matters

The documented wrongdoing by ICE agents raises serious concerns about the agency's ability to properly vet and train its growing workforce, as well as the potential for increased misconduct and abuse of power given ICE's expanded mission and authority under the Trump administration. This could have significant implications for vulnerable immigrant populations and the broader public's trust in federal law enforcement.

The details

The AP review found that the crimes committed by ICE employees and contractors ranged from physical and sexual abuse of detainees to corruption and abuse of authority. This includes cases of ICE agents assaulting protesters, sexually abusing detainees, accepting bribes to remove deportation orders, and even attempting to solicit sex from minors. Many of these incidents involved veteran ICE employees and supervisors, rather than just new hires.

  • Since 2020, at least 24 ICE employees and contractors have been charged with crimes.
  • In the last year alone, 9 ICE agents have been charged with various offenses.
  • In December 2022, an ICE supervisor was arrested for attempting to strangle his girlfriend, a crime he had committed for years.
  • In November 2022, an ICE employment eligibility auditor was arrested in a sting operation for attempting to meet a person he thought was a 17-year-old prostitute.
  • In October 2022, an ICE officer was arrested for driving under the influence with his government firearm in the vehicle.

The players

Samuel Saxon

A 20-year ICE veteran and assistant field office supervisor in Cincinnati who was arrested in December 2022 on charges that he attempted to strangle his girlfriend, a crime he had committed for years.

Alexander Back

A 41-year-old ICE employment eligibility auditor who was arrested in November 2022 in a sting operation for attempting to meet a person he thought was a 17-year-old prostitute.

Guillermo Diaz-Torres

An ICE officer who was arrested in October 2022 for driving under the influence with his government firearm in the vehicle.

Scott Deiseroth

An ICE officer in Florida who was arrested in August 2022 for driving drunk with his two children in the car, and then tried to get out of charges by threatening to check the arresting deputy's immigration status.

Tricia McLaughlin

The Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary who stated that wrongdoing was not widespread in ICE and that the agency takes allegations of misconduct extremely seriously.

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What they’re saying

“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.”

— Gil Kerlikowske, Former Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection

“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.”

— David Bier, Director of Immigration Studies at the Cato Institute

What’s next

The judge in the case against Samuel Saxon will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow him out on bail.

The takeaway

The growing number of criminal charges against ICE agents highlights the need for more rigorous vetting and training of new hires, as well as stronger oversight and accountability measures within the agency. This misconduct could undermine public trust in federal immigration enforcement and raises concerns about the agency's ability to properly carry out its mission.