US EditionWhat to Know About the Warrants Most Immigration Agents Use to Make Arrests
Internal administrative warrants allow immigration agents to arrest individuals without forced home entry; over 40 such confrontations with alleged excessive force occurred in the past year, ProPublica found.
- Over the past year, ProPublica found more than 40 cases of immigration agents using life-threatening maneuvers despite a federal ban, with no confirmation of agent punishment after Renee Good's killing last week.
- Amid limited oversight, reporters compiled cases from legal filings, social media and local press since the government does not publicly track agents' use of force in urban patrols.
- Victims' footage and hospital records reveal about two dozen videos of officers kneeling on necks or backs and nearly 20 cases of banned chokeholds causing seizures and hospital care.
- Top administration officials rushed to defend their agents, with White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson and DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin praising their professionalism, while Gil Kerlikowske urged discipline and Minneapolis residents organized protests amid ICE raids.
- Blocking the carotid arteries cuts 70% of brain blood flow, risking serious harm, and the Department of Homeland Security training revisions and 2023 codification formally banned choking tactics.
127 Articles
127 Articles
We found more than 40 cases of immigration agents using banned chokeholds
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 19: A person is detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents inside a fast food restaurant that is under construction on November 19, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The man sustained injuries to his face while agents wrestled him to the ground after he tried to run. Federal Agents are carrying out "Operation Charlotte's Web," an ongoing immigration enforcement surge across the Charlotte region.(Photo by Ryan Mur…
"Felt like I was going to pass out and die": Immigration agents are using banned chokeholds
Immigration agents have put civilians’ lives at risk using more than their guns. An agent in Houston put a teenage citizen into a chokehold, wrapping his arm around the boy’s neck, choking him so hard that his neck had red welts hours later. A black-masked agent in Los Angeles pressed his knee into a woman’s neck while she was handcuffed; she then appeared to pass out. An agent in Massachusetts jabbed his finger and thumb into the neck and arter…
Immigration agents continue to use banned chokeholds
This story was originally published by ProPublica. An agent in Houston put a teenage citizen into a chokehold, wrapping his arm around the boy’s neck, choking him so hard that his neck had red welts hours later. A black-masked agent in Los Angeles pressed his knee into a woman’s neck while she was handcuffed; she then appeared to pass out. An agent in Massachusetts jabbed his finger and thumb into the neck and arteries of a young father who refu…
We found over 40 cases of federal agents using banned chokeholds, cutting off breathing
Immigration agents have put civilians’ lives at risk using more than their guns.An agent in Houston put a teenage citizen into a chokehold, wrapping his arm around the boy’s neck, choking him so hard that his neck had red welts hours later. A black-masked agent in Los Angeles pressed his knee into a woman’s neck while she was handcuffed; she then appeared to pass out. An agent in Massachusetts jabbed his finger and thumb into the neck and arteri…
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