Attorney General Pam Bondi signed a memo on Monday directing agents from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration and other Justice Department agencies to assist in guarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities.
The move by Bondi — which she hinted at on Friday — came after one detainee was killed and two others were injured in a shooting at an ICE field office in Dallas on Wednesday, the latest shooting or threat targeting an ICE facility or immigration agent in recent months. She cast that attack as the latest act of “extreme political violence.”
In a memo shared on X, Bondi said the FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives should “immediately direct all necessary officers and agents to defend ICE facilities and personnel whenever and wherever they come under attack.” She also announced the formation of a temporary “ICE Protection Task Force” that could include federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
She singled out Portland and Chicago for operations to protect ICE facilities, and said she’s directing federal prosecutors in both cities to seek charges against anybody accused of threatening or assaulting law enforcement. President Trump is also looking to deploy hundreds of troops to the two cities, drawing vehement opposition from local officials.
ICE has said attacks on its agents have spiked this year, as the Trump administration uses the agency to dramatically increase arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants. In recent months, ICE operations in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and elsewhere have drawn tense protests and clashes between agents and demonstrators.
On Friday, Bondi also floated a broader crackdown on “repeated acts of violence and obstruction against federal agents.” She directed the Joint Terrorism Task Forces — which are regional entities scattered throughout the country that work with the FBI and with state and local police — to look into what she described as “domestic terrorism.”
“The Department of Justice will seek the most serious available charges against all participants in these criminal mobs, including conspiracy offenses, assault offenses, civil disorder offenses, and terrorism offenses,” the attorney general wrote Friday.
Last week, Mr. Trump signed a memo calling for investigations into “political violence and intimidation,” led by the Joint Terrorism Task Forces. The White House pointed to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk earlier this month, last year’s assassination attempts against Mr. Trump, and an increase in attacks on ICE officers.
The president also penned an executive order labeling antifa a domestic terrorist organization. The move’s legal implications aren’t clear. Antifa, short for “anti-fascist,” generally refers to a loose collection of largely left-wing activists, not a cohesive organization with a leadership structure. Also, domestic terrorism isn’t a chargeable offense under federal law, and the government doesn’t have a formal list of domestic terrorist groups, unlike with foreign groups.