Tackles, projectiles and gunfire: Many fear ICE tactics are growing more violent

Tackles, projectiles and gunfire: Many fear ICE tactics are growing more violent

Meg Anderson

October 13, 2025 / 9:57 am

There are countless videos on social media showing similar scenes. One, filmed by a photographer in Hyattsville, Md., shows a man pinned to the ground by two ICE officers. He pleads in Spanish and English for someone to help him.

During the incident, one of the officers drops his gun and fumbles for it. Then, he appears to point it at bystanders. Emily Covington, an assistant director in ICE's Office of Public Affairs, told NPR in a statement that drawing a weapon can be used as a de-escalation tactic.

Another video, from Broadview, Ill., near Chicago , appears to show a man outside an ICE facility getting shot in the head with a pepper ball, a projectile