There is credible information that members of Mexican drug cartels have offered a “tiered” reward system for attacks against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Two weeks ago, the Justice Department charged a member of the Chicago-based Latin Kings with offering a reward for Greg Bovino, the CBP commander overseeing enforcement operations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Portland.
Drug cartels have “disseminated a structured rewards program to incentivize violence against federal personnel,” according to a DHS news release.
The federal agency alleges that the cartels are offering $2,000 for intelligence gathering and doxing of agents, between $5,000 and $10,000 for kidnapping or non-lethal attacks on standard ICE/CBP agents, and up to $50,000 for the assassination of high-ranking officials.
Gangs such as the Latin Kings have also deployed “spotters” armed with firearms and radio communications to provide real-time movements of CBP and ICE agents, according to DHS.
An officer with an ICE badge in Broadview, Illinois, on September 26, 2025.
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images
“These criminal networks are not only resisting the rule of law, they are waging an organized campaign of terror against the brave men and women who protect our borders and communities,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a news release.
“Our officers face ambushes, drone surveillance and death threats, all because they dare to enforce laws passed by Congress,” Noem added. “We will not back down from these threats, and every criminal, terrorist and illegal alien will face American justice.”
The DHS report comes amid a legal battle over the deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago, in part, as protection for immigration agents and facilities.
Last week, District Judge April Perry temporarily blocked the deployment of troops from any US state to Illinois, a ruling that will be in effect for 14 days.
In the decision, Perry determined that there is “no credible evidence that there is a danger of rebellion in Illinois” and no evidence that the president is incapable with regular forces of executing US laws.
He said the deployment of the national guard in Illinois “will likely lead to civil unrest” requiring a response from local and state authorities.
Referencing what he called the “provocative nature of ICE policing” in Illinois, he said, “I think allowing the deployment of the national guard will only add fuel to the fire they started.”
The Justice Department appealed the ruling, but it was rejected by a federal appeals court.
However, the court allowed the federal government to maintain control of the state’s National Guard troops.
