Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a sweeping directive late Monday ordering federal law enforcement agencies to protect Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and facilities in the wake of what she called an “era of extreme political violence.”
The three-page Justice Department memorandum, shared on X, calls on agents from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to “immediately” deploy officers to ICE facilities “whenever and wherever they come under attack,” citing recent assassinations, riots, and a deadly shooting in Dallas in response to President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown efforts.
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????I just issued a memo to all @TheJusticeDept components making it clear: violence against federal officers will not be tolerated.
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) September 29, 2025
The DOJ is deploying agents to protect ICE facilities, arrest violent agitators on the spot, and bring the strongest federal charges possible.
The… pic.twitter.com/7PH2b35fKI
The move follows a sniper attack last week on the ICE field office in Dallas, in which two detainees died and one was injured. No ICE personnel were hurt, but the incident marked the latest in a surge of attacks that Bondi says are linked to organized campaigns of radicalized violence.
“As President Trump stated, we are witnessing a new era of extreme political violence,” Bondi wrote. “Enough is enough. The Department of Justice will stand strong when federal law enforcement officers are attacked or threatened for doing their sworn duty.”
The DOJ memo establishes a temporary ICE Protection Task Force, comprising federal, state, and local agencies under DOJ coordination. The task force will prioritize arrests and prosecutions related to violence or interference with ICE operations, especially in Chicago and Portland, two cities where protests have turned violent in recent months.
More than 200 demonstrators in Chicago recently blocked access to an ICE facility while chanting “Arrest ICE, Shoot ICE,” with at least one rioter arrested carrying a firearm, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
ARRESTS ARE BEING MADE:
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) September 28, 2025
11 violent rioters were arrested last night in Chicago outside the ICE detention facility:
These are two guns that were taken off rioters in Chicago right against the fence at our ICE detention facility.
An investigation is underway into what appears… pic.twitter.com/pLPfSIcA4p
In Portland, rioters reportedly laid siege to an ICE processing center, arriving with fireworks, body armor, and large food stockpiles.
“These rioters have been well-organized and appear to be well-funded,” Bondi noted in the memo. DHS has emphasized the need for reinforcements from the DOJ, stating in a press release Friday that “ICE law enforcement officers are facing a more than 1,000% increase in assaults against them.”
The attorney general also directed U.S. attorneys in Oregon and Northern Illinois to pursue “the highest provable offense available under the law” for individuals accused of threatening or assaulting ICE agents or interfering with federal operations. Violations may include conspiracy, civil disorder, or terrorism-related charges.
On Friday, Bondi previewed the crackdown by directing the Joint Terrorism Task Forces to investigate violent demonstrations and identify any broader networks funding or organizing attacks against federal officers. The effort by Bondi comes after Trump signed an executive order last week designating antifa as a domestic terrorist organization, which the White House argues is part of a complex left-wing network that has been creating chaos and fomenting political violence.
“We must disband and uproot networks, entities, and organizations that promote organized violence, violent intimidation, conspiracies against rights, and other efforts to disrupt the functioning of a democratic society,” Bondi wrote.
Her latest memo orders federal agents to “arrest and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law every person who aids, abets, or conspires to commit these crimes, whether through funding, coordination, planning, or other means.”
The attorney general’s order comes as Trump faces backlash from blue-state governors over his plan to deploy federal troops to reinforce ICE operations in hot zones. On Saturday, Trump said that ICE offices were “under siege” and vowed to send troops to Portland, a move that Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker claimed could set a precedent for Trump to make a similar decision about Chicago.
Despite pushback from local officials who view such deployments as politically motivated, Bondi defended the strategy as necessary to protect officers under attack.
BORDER PATROL TO REMAIN IN CHICAGO AND PORTLAND TO SUPPORT ICE IF GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN
To support local enforcement, she also directed the DOJ’s Office of Justice Programs and Community Oriented Policing Services to provide grant funding and training to police officers protecting ICE facilities. This may include funding for body-worn cameras and riot control equipment.
“Working together with our interagency partners, we will take back our country and make America safe again,” Bondi concluded.