Police group endorses ICE Protection Act
The National Police Association has endorsed the ICE Protection Act of 2026. The move comes in response to Department of Homeland Security reports of protestors using vehicles as weapons against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
The ICE Protection Act of 2026, also known as S. 3675, proposes to amend Title 18 of the United States Code to increase penalties for individuals who assault federal law enforcement officers with a motor vehicle. The bill was introduced by Senator John Cornyn and is co-sponsored by several other Republican senators. It has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee for further deliberation. Under the proposed legislation, an assault on an ICE agent or other federal law enforcement officer using a motor vehicle that results in bodily injury would carry a minimum prison sentence of 5 years. This minimum sentence increases to 7 years for substantial bodily injury and 10 years for serious bodily injury. [The National Police Association's](https://vertexaisearch.cloud.google.com/grounding-api-redirect/AUZIYQGbs7ZRZkOVYYgOWjMVVOqz3YVoGFRW7WPq862cfBMd88bCywrkdWj3CHc2LvdrB-OAP7dSxUlGw69WkovkUwGf77RqrCKAO3omrmVkzNAx8570Z_UMCOi_asQffhxd7r0zXDbETbLuzHZ3Xg5diIt1f7LkWyHDNaZD_FA4MEPT1e8hwXUH5BThRuc_N5pf1vI1bOXn4z8M434SC0RDPuqbH6VUHfJwCNY7A4dZkfbjper6R7CsoEOt_N8=) legislative director, Paula Fitzsimmons, stated that the act sends a clear message that using vehicles as weapons against officers will not be tolerated. The push for this legislation follows a Department of Homeland Security report claiming a 3,200% increase in vehicular assaults on ICE officers over the past year. The National Police Association has pointed to these figures as a key reason for their endorsement of the bill. Civil liberties and immigrant advocacy organizations have expressed strong opposition to increased enforcement and funding for ICE, citing concerns over civil rights abuses. Groups like the American Civil Liberties Union have documented what they describe as a pattern of abusive and unconstitutional immigration practices by ICE and its partner agencies. In response to aggressive federal immigration enforcement, some states and localities have moved to limit their cooperation with ICE. Concurrently, some members of Congress have introduced legislation aimed at increasing accountability and oversight of DHS, ICE, and CBP, proposing measures such as requiring warrants to enter homes and restricting operations to the enforcement of immigration law. Over 500 civil and human rights organizations have signed a letter to Congress urging them to reject increased funding for ICE and to rein in what they term as "violence and lawlessness."
