Image: from ‘Trump’s private army’: inside the push to recruit 10,000 immigration officers.

This page is part of a resource collection: Tracking ICE During the Second Trump Administration.

News: 2026

January 28.   Erica De Bruin: ICE not only looks and acts like a paramilitary force – it is one, and that makes it harder to curb.

February 3.   Christiane Amanpour Presents: Is ICE Becoming Trump’s Private Militia?

News: 2025

September 2.   Sam Levin: ‘Trump’s private army’: inside the push to recruit 10,000 immigration officers.

September 4.   Ruth Ben-Ghiat: Why Trump Might Want ICE To Be His Private Militia: Seeing ICE as a coup-proofing corps.

October 18.   J. David McSwane & Hannah Allam: Unfettered and Unaccountable: How Trump is Building a Violent, Shadowy Federal Police Force.