“Offensive Driving”: ICE’s Deadly Weaponization of Vehicles Against Civilians

As Miguel Parra Hernandez, a Mexican national, was fleeing from U.S. The government said the man was not struck, but video released by the New York Times showed the ICE (immigration enforcement agency) vehicle swerving into the bicycle . After immigration officers shot and killed Lorenzo Salgado Araujo , who was targeted by ICE, and community defender Renée Good in separate incidents, the government said the civilians had used their cars to attack agents — allegations that have not been borne out in criminal charges , or were called into question by witness accounts and video analysis . Common tactics, known collectively as “offensive driving techniques,” include ramming the cars of immigrant targets and activists; “brake-checking” volunteers trying to observe ICE activity; and, in some cases, outright driving into civilians. The Intercept reviewed two dozen cases of ICE using vehicles against civilians in these ways, including multiple incidents where victims were hospitalized or even died from their injuries. “Vehicles are another tool ICE agents are using with unchecked force, just like their guns, Tasers, and pepper spray.” “Vehicles are another tool ICE agents are using with unchecked force, just like their guns, Tasers, and pepper spray,” said Hannah Stauss, co-director of Hands Off NYC, a group that opposes ICE’s presence in New York City. “ICE’s deranged use of vehicles effectively weaponizes them against our immigrant neighbors and rapid responders, and will continue to kill people. ICE agents arrested Martinez and later released him without charge. Yet VC Defensa volunteers, who like Martinez monitor ICE activity, said that when they follow ICE vehicles to alert the community with horn-honking, they keep a distance of two to three car lengths because federal agents so frequently brake-check volunteers. By signing up, I agree to receive emails from The Intercept and to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use . Customs and Border Protection, another agency that, like ICE, is under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security, expanded its agents’ discretion and ability to use these techniques during abduction operations after President Donald Trump took office for a second term. A previous 2023 Customs and Border Protection pursuit policy largely prohibited officers from boxing in vehicles or making vehicle contact with another vehicle in motion.