Police Group Backs ICE Protection Act

The proposed ICE Protection Act of 2026 (S. 3675) would amend current federal law to double the maximum prison term from 20 to 40 years for assaulting, resisting, or impeding an officer with a dangerous weapon. It also introduces a mandatory minimum sentence of five to 10 years specifically for using a vehicle to harm an officer. The bill was introduced by Senator John Cornyn and has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The legislation follows a Department of Homeland Security report of a significant increase in vehicular assaults on ICE officers. In one recent incident in Chicago, Border Patrol agents were reportedly rammed by vehicles and boxed in by 10 cars, forcing them to exit their vehicle. Using vehicles as weapons is a tactic that has become more frequent in attacks on civilians and law enforcement globally. The National Police Association has previously endorsed other legislation aimed at strengthening immigration enforcement. This includes the POLICE Act, which would make assaulting a law enforcement officer a deportable offense for non-citizens, and the 287(g) Program Protection Act, which encourages partnerships between local police and ICE. Other recently introduced bills also seek to create stronger federal penalties for those who target law enforcement. The Protect and Serve Act would make it a federal crime to knowingly cause bodily injury to an officer, while the Back the Blue Act would create new federal crimes for killing or assaulting an officer with mandatory minimum sentences. Conversely, other proposed legislation aims to increase oversight and accountability for ICE. The ICE Accountability Act, introduced by Senator Elizabeth Warren, would establish an independent watchdog to monitor the agency's activities and report directly to Congress. Meanwhile, the Stop ICE Election Militarization Act seeks to prevent ICE from being deployed to polling places and to ban certain non-criminal enforcement operations near an election.