ICE & CPB have a sex crimes against children problem
At least 20 ICE & CBP officials have been charged with sex crimes against children
“[There is] a real problem with gender-based violence by ICE agents, and the agency is not taking it seriously.”
By Daniel Villarreal (he/him)/LGBTQNation
January 27, 2026, 5:36 pm EST
A list of 30 agents working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) shows that 29 of them have been charged with sexual offenses, and two-thirds committed sexual crimes against children, according to a list published by the Ohio Immigrant Alliance and the Pacific Antifascist Collective.
“The off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who killed Keith Porter, Jr. has a history of racism, child abuse, and explosive tempers. Despite murdering Porter in cold blood, Brian Palacios remains free without charge and employed by ICE,” the groups’ website states, invoking the name of Porter, a Black 43-year-old father of two who was fatally shot by an ICE officer on New Year’s Eve outside his apartment complex
. “In February 2025, Palacios was barred from having any contact with two of his girlfriend’s children, after they testified that he beat his own sons and frequently made homophobic and racist remarks.”
The members of the all-male list have been charged with offenses like gunpoint sexual assault; child sex trafficking; aggravated assault; robbery; rape; torture; kidnapping; sexual abuse of a minor; and possession and production of child sexual abuse materials.
“[There is] a real problem with gender-based violence by ICE agents, and the agency is not taking it seriously,” Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, said.
“This culture of violence toward women and children is visible in ICE agents’ officially-sanctioned actions, and the Department of Homeland Security’s unconditional support for their acts of violence,” the website further states.
The website notes that, according to Ms. Magazine, “Across the country, so-called ‘ICE impersonators’ are on the rise as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) itself has been violently arresting people without warrants, sometimes in plain clothes using unmarked vehicles. Nearly impossible to distinguish between real and fake agents, men have allegedly lied about their identities to intimidate, kidnap, and rape women with precarious immigration statuses, according to survivors’ accounts.”
ICE has launched a $100 million effort to attract new recruits that includes sending geo-targeted advertisements directly to the phones of people located near Mixed Martial Arts fights, NASCAR races, and gun shows. The advertisements use futuristic imagery of war and video games, along with slogans about “defending the homeland."
Daniel Villarreal is a longtime, award-winning journalist and editor who has written for NBC News, Newsweek, Vox, Slate, Vice News, The Seattle Stranger, The Dallas Voice and numerous other LGBTQ+ publications. He has spoken at SXSW, Creating Change, Netroots Nation, GaymerX, and is a graduate of GLAAD's Voices of Color program and of the Poynter Institute's 2024 Power of Diverse Voices seminar. He is also the founder of QueerBomb Dallas, an annual non-corporate Pride event; CinéWilde, the nation's longest running monthly LGBTQ film series. He is available for interviews and educational talks.
“[There is] a real problem with gender-based violence by ICE agents, and the agency is not taking it seriously.”
By Daniel Villarreal (he/him)/LGBTQNation
January 27, 2026, 5:36 pm EST
A list of 30 agents working for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) shows that 29 of them have been charged with sexual offenses, and two-thirds committed sexual crimes against children, according to a list published by the Ohio Immigrant Alliance and the Pacific Antifascist Collective.
“The off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who killed Keith Porter, Jr. has a history of racism, child abuse, and explosive tempers. Despite murdering Porter in cold blood, Brian Palacios remains free without charge and employed by ICE,” the groups’ website states, invoking the name of Porter, a Black 43-year-old father of two who was fatally shot by an ICE officer on New Year’s Eve outside his apartment complex
. “In February 2025, Palacios was barred from having any contact with two of his girlfriend’s children, after they testified that he beat his own sons and frequently made homophobic and racist remarks.”
The members of the all-male list have been charged with offenses like gunpoint sexual assault; child sex trafficking; aggravated assault; robbery; rape; torture; kidnapping; sexual abuse of a minor; and possession and production of child sexual abuse materials.
“[There is] a real problem with gender-based violence by ICE agents, and the agency is not taking it seriously,” Lynn Tramonte, Executive Director of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance, said.
“This culture of violence toward women and children is visible in ICE agents’ officially-sanctioned actions, and the Department of Homeland Security’s unconditional support for their acts of violence,” the website further states.
The website notes that, according to Ms. Magazine, “Across the country, so-called ‘ICE impersonators’ are on the rise as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) itself has been violently arresting people without warrants, sometimes in plain clothes using unmarked vehicles. Nearly impossible to distinguish between real and fake agents, men have allegedly lied about their identities to intimidate, kidnap, and rape women with precarious immigration statuses, according to survivors’ accounts.”
ICE has launched a $100 million effort to attract new recruits that includes sending geo-targeted advertisements directly to the phones of people located near Mixed Martial Arts fights, NASCAR races, and gun shows. The advertisements use futuristic imagery of war and video games, along with slogans about “defending the homeland."
Daniel Villarreal is a longtime, award-winning journalist and editor who has written for NBC News, Newsweek, Vox, Slate, Vice News, The Seattle Stranger, The Dallas Voice and numerous other LGBTQ+ publications. He has spoken at SXSW, Creating Change, Netroots Nation, GaymerX, and is a graduate of GLAAD's Voices of Color program and of the Poynter Institute's 2024 Power of Diverse Voices seminar. He is also the founder of QueerBomb Dallas, an annual non-corporate Pride event; CinéWilde, the nation's longest running monthly LGBTQ film series. He is available for interviews and educational talks.
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