Police Group Endorses ICE Protection Act
The National Police Association has formally endorsed the ICE Protection Act of 2026. The group cited Department of Homeland Security reports of increasing violence against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. The legislation is intended to provide enhanced protections, particularly in response to incidents where vehicles have been used as weapons.
The ICE Protection Act of 2026, officially designated S. 3675, was introduced by Senator John Cornyn of Texas. The bill seeks to amend existing federal law by doubling the maximum prison term for assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon to 40 years. It also introduces new mandatory minimum sentences specifically for assaults using a vehicle: five years for causing bodily injury, seven for substantial bodily injury, and ten years for serious bodily injury. The legislation has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further deliberation. The push for the bill follows Department of Homeland Security data showing a dramatic rise in violence. One DHS report cited 68 vehicular attacks against ICE officers between January 2025 and January 2026, a 3,300% increase from the two attacks reported in the prior year. The bill is co-sponsored by several Republican senators, including Lindsey Graham, Bill Hagerty, James Lankford, Cynthia Lummis, Markwayne Mullin, and Steve Daines. Paula Fitzsimmons, the Legislative Director for the National Police Association, stated that officers must now "contend with being assaulted or killed by demonstrators using their vehicles as weapons." While this legislation focuses on officer protection, civil rights organizations like the ACLU have criticized the expansion of ICE's authority. These groups have raised concerns about programs that deputize local police for immigration enforcement and have advocated for legislation to ban certain restraint devices used by the agency.
