(NewsNation) — Mexican cartels are being accused of offering incentives to people to dox, attack or even kill ICE officers and Border Patrol agents.
The Department of Homeland Security posted a statement on X saying thousands of dollars will be offered for any attacks, including killing high-ranking officials. It comes as an accused Chicago gang member was arrested for allegedly putting a hit out on Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino.
The department also said the criminal networks have recruited U.S.-based sympathizers, including street gangs in cities like Chicago. Investigators said there are teams in the city who spot federal agents and post real-time updates on what neighborhoods they can be found in.
There is a tiered bounty system the cartels have established, according to DHS. The list of payouts and actions taken includes:
- $2,000 for gathering intelligence or doxxing agents (including photos and family details)
- $5,000–$10,000 for kidnapping or nonlethal assaults on standard ICE/CBP officers
- Up to $50,000 for the assassination of high-ranking officials
“Their campaign of terror against the brave men and women who protect our homeland will be CRUSHED, and these cartel members will be brought to their knees,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a social media post. “President Trump and I have the backs of every member of law enforcement across our nation.”
They are also accusing extremist groups of providing logistical support to help shield cartel-linked suspects, whether it’s prestaged protest supplies or doxxing.
Bovino mocked the alleged gang member who put the $12,000 bounty on his head, saying in part, “I’m a lot harder to kill than they think.”
A border agent deployed in Chicago said the targeting was inevitable.
“It’s only a matter of time for that to happen, right? And that’s why we cover our faces,” the agent told NewsNation. “We have a bunch of different assets and abilities to combat that [doxxing], and that individual got arrested. So anyone that thinks that they’re going to get away with doing that, they better think twice.”
Facebook also removed a page that DHS alleges was used to dox ICE agents and Border Patrol agents. The Justice Department also intervened and said they were going to prosecute anybody who is doxxing agents and that they would get any social media platform to remove similar pages.