National Police Association Endorses ICE Act
The National Police Association announced its endorsement of the ICE Protection Act of 2026. The group cited Department of Homeland Security reports of protestors using vehicles as weapons against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
The ICE Protection Act of 2026, introduced by Senator John Cornyn and several Republican cosponsors, would significantly stiffen penalties for assaulting federal law enforcement officers. The bill proposes doubling the maximum prison sentence from 20 to 40 years for assaulting an officer with a deadly weapon. It also introduces new mandatory minimum sentences for using a vehicle in an assault, ranging from five to ten years depending on the severity of the injury. The endorsement from the National Police Association leans on a Department of Homeland Security report claiming a 3,200% surge in vehicular assaults on ICE officers. This statistic is based on a reported increase from 2 incidents in the 2024 fiscal year to 66 in the 2025 fiscal year. The same report noted a 1,347% increase in total assaults against ICE officers in the first year of the Trump administration, with 275 reported incidents compared to 19 in the previous year. However, the dramatic percentage increases in assaults reported by DHS have been met with skepticism. Some news analyses and critics argue the numbers are misleading because the raw number of incidents is relatively low. Investigations into court records have suggested that a majority of the alleged assaults on federal officers resulted in no injuries. The debate over this act is happening amidst a broader push for greater accountability for ICE. Other proposed legislation, like the "ICE Standards Act," calls for mandatory body cameras, de-escalation training, and clearer identification for officers. Additionally, the "ICE Accountability Act" seeks to establish an independent watchdog to investigate misconduct allegations against the agency. The National Police Association, which endorsed the ICE Protection Act, has previously supported Republican candidates, endorsing Donald Trump for president in both 2020 and 2024. This endorsement aligns with their history of advocating for legislation that enhances penalties for crimes against law enforcement officers. The bill has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for deliberation. Its advancement comes as some states and localities are moving in the opposite direction, with proposals to limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities and, in some cases, to prevent former ICE agents from obtaining state or local law enforcement jobs.
