Mexican gangs offering up to $50K bounties for ICE agent assassinations in US, DHS says

Federal law enforcement officials suspect Mexican criminal organizations are funding a scheme to pay thousands of dollars in cash bounties for the killings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, with payouts allegedly increasing based on an employee’s rank and actions.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Tuesday announced the alleged bounty system offers $2,000 for gathering intelligence or doxxing agents — including photos and family details — $5,000 to $10,000 for kidnapping or non-lethal assaults on standard immigration officers, and up to $50,000 for the assassination of high-ranking officials.

"Under President [Donald] Trump and [DHS Secretary Kristi Noem], EVERY criminal, terrorist, and illegal alien will face American justice," DHS wrote in an X post.

The announcement came after the Washington Examiner first reported the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) uncovered gangs in Chicago were offered up to $50,000 to assassinate high-ranking ICE officials.

ALLEGED GANG LEADER OFFERED BOUNTY TO KILL IMMIGRATION OFFICER, FEDERAL OFFICIALS SAY

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents look over lists of names and their hearing times and locations inside the Federal Plaza courthouse before making arrests on June 27, 2025, in New York. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)

Gang members in Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods have positioned armed "spotters" on rooftops to monitor law enforcement activity, according to the outlet's report.

"Communication is conducted via radio," DEA officials alleged.

ICE OFFICERS IN ILLINOIS TARGETED BY ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS WHO USED 'VEHICLES AS WEAPONS,' OFFICIALS SAY

On Oct. 6, federal agents in Chicago arrested a suspected Latin Kings leader accused of offering payments to capture or kill a senior immigration officer involved in Operation Midway Blitz, a sweeping crackdown on those who sought refuge under the city’s sanctuary policies.

Juan Espinoza Martinez, a suspected Latin Kings leader, is accused of offering cash bounties to kill a federal immigration officer. Martinez was arrested on Oct. 6, 2025, in Chicago. (Department of Homeland Security)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois unsealed a criminal complaint charging 37-year-old Juan Espinoza Martinez with one count of murder for hire. DHS identified the intended target as Commander at Large of the U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino.

"Depraved individuals like Juan Espinoza Martinez — who do not value human life and threaten law enforcement — do NOT belong in this country," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a statement. "We will not allow criminal gangs to put hits on U.S. government officials and our law enforcement officers. Thanks to ICE and our federal law enforcement partners, this thug is off our streets and behind bars."   

HUNDREDS OF FEDERAL AGENTS IN CHICAGO CARRY OUT OPERATION TARGETING SUSPECTED TREN DE ARAGUA GANG MEMBERS

Fox News Digital previously reported two illegal immigrants were arrested in Illinois for allegedly weaponizing their vehicles in "deliberate attempts to ram and injure" ICE officers, according to DHS.

Federal law enforcement agents break up protesters outside an immigrant processing center with a barrage of tear gas and pepper balls on Sept. 27, 2025, in Broadview, Illinois.  (Getty Images)

DHS announced on Oct. 3 federal agents had arrested more than 1,000 illegal immigrants in Illinois as part of Operation Midway Blitz.

The operation, led by ICE and Border Patrol, launched Sept. 8 in honor of Katie Abraham, killed in a drunk-driving hit-and-run crash in Illinois earlier this year allegedly caused by an illegal migrant from Guatemala. 

The initiative was designed to take "the worst of the worst" off the streets of Chicago and other parts of the state, according to DHS.

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DHS and the Mexican Embassy did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.