Sens. McCaskill, Johnson inquire about increased ICE personnel injuries in the field

In response to recent reports of an increase in assaults against law enforcement officials across the country, U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) and Ron Johnson (R-WI) recently called for an investigation into ways to increase safety for agents within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

ICE is an organization within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and works to enforce the nation’s immigration laws, including identifying and deporting criminal undocumented immigrants while combating activities from transnational gangs and narcotics traffickers.

The request was sent via public letter to DHS Inspector General John Roth and specifically requested information regarding assaults on ICE personnel and potential measures the agency could take to promote safety for officers in the future.

“According to ICE officials, ICE has already recorded 19 incidents of assault on ICE law enforcement personnel for this year through May 22, 2017, compared to only 24 assaults recorded during all of 2016,” the senators wrote.

In the letter, the senators asked the Inspector General to provide them with the number of assaults ICE enforcement personnel sustained during the course of their duty for each year since FY2010, including the locations of each assault, the types of assault, the days lost to injury, and any trends that have emerged.

Additionally, McCaskill and Johnson inquired about the methods the agency used to collect, compile, track, and report data on ICE law enforcement injuries in the field and any measures the agency had taken to improve personnel safety, which included tactical and de-escalation training.

As of the writing of this story, the Inspector General has yet to issue a formal response to the senators’ inquiry.