FBI reportedly to stop investigating ICE incidents

According to the New York Times, federal agents have been told that the FBI will no longer investigate confrontations involving ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents. DHS and DOJ deny a policy change. The change comes amid increased scrutiny of ICE violence after agents recently killed two people. Shootings in Maine and Texas are the latest civilian deaths caused by ICE agents. The new policy ends FBI investigations into attacks on DHS agents. Previously, the government aggressively pursued cases against protesters who had physical contact with agents, but nearly half of such felony cases ended in acquittals. The NYT analysis shows that while FBI probes were intended to help charge protesters, they also often collected evidence for future trials of agents. After the change, cases involving federal immigration officers will likely fall under ICE's Homeland Security Investigations arm, allowing the agency to investigate itself. That unit lacks jurisdiction over civil rights violations, making it much less likely that the killing of unarmed individuals by ICE agents will be investigated for federal law violations.