The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has denied reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is purchasing guided missiles.
“Allegations ICE is buying guided missile components are FALSE,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek in an email. “ICE buying its law enforcement officers guns and non-lethal resources is a non-story.”
Why It Matters
ICE has been thrust into the forefront of the national conversation surrounding the federal government’s policies. The Trump administration is facing increased scrutiny over its plans to deport millions of migrants without legal status.
What To Know
A federal contracting record shows that ICE made a $61,218 payment labeled under the Product and Service Code (PSC) for “guided missile warheads and explosive components.” The entry was highlighted by Popular Information, which reported a 700 percent rise in ICE spending on small arms and related equipment in 2025.
Between January 20 and October 18, ICE spent about $71.5 million in this category, up significantly from 2024, while WIRED’s independent analysis found a roughly 636 percent increase over the same period.
WIRED reported that the record’s description says the payment was for “multiple distraction devices” to support ICE operations, and Quantico Tactical’s CEO said the missile code “appears to be an error.” WIRED reported that the company does not sell warheads and that similar purchases of distraction devices appear elsewhere in ICE’s records.
“Quantico Tactical does not sell, and I suspect that CBP ICE does not purchase, ‘Guided Missile Warheads,’” CEO David Hensley told WIRED.
PSCs are assigned by government contracting offices, not the contractor, and Hensley declined to specify the exact type of distraction devices purchased. ICE made two similar payments to Quantico Tactical for distraction devices in 2024 and 2025.
“It should come as no surprise that we purchase and acquire firearms for law enforcement—especially amid the increased onboarding of 11,000 agents thanks to President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill,” McLaughlin said.
The “One Big Beautiful Bill,” signed earlier this year by Trump, supercharged funding for ICE and DHS, fueling a surge in law enforcement hiring and equipment purchases across the agencies.
The increase in spending has coincided with a string of violent incidents tied to enforcement operations, several of which were captured on video.
A farm worker, Jaime Alanís García, fell from a greenhouse roof during a July 10 ICE raid in California and later died, according to the United Farm Workers.
A sniper attack on an ICE facility in Dallas on September 24 left multiple detainees dead and prompted an FBI investigation into a suspected targeted assault on the office, DHS said.
There have also been reports of ICE agents being injured in the field. DHS claims there has been a 1,000 percent increase in assaults against ICE agents, but the agency has refused to provide a detailed breakdown of figures.
Federal agents shot a man in the elbow during an immigration enforcement operation in South Los Angeles after he allegedly rammed their vehicles while trying to flee, DHS officials said. A deputy U.S. marshal was also injured when struck in the hand by a ricocheted bullet, and both men were hospitalized.
What People Are Saying
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek: “Do you also plan to cover the 1,000 percent increase in assaults against law enforcement including terrorist attacks, cars being used as weapons, and officers having rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at them?”
Democratic Wisconsin state Senator Chris Larson, on Blue Sky: “ICE is stockpiling arms, including chemical weapons, guided missile warheads and explosive components. The spending dwarfs anything we’ve ever seen in the agency – a 700% increase. The President is building an army to attack his own country.”
What Happens Next
Funding under the Trump administration’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” is expected to continue supporting ICE operations, including mass deportations and expanded enforcement efforts.
