Federal immigration enforcement agencies' weapons spending exploded last year, according to a new report put out by U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff of California.
The report, issued Thursday, found that ICE spending commitments increased by 360% in the last year on guns, less lethal weapons, ammunition and related gear, compared to contracts from 2024.
"DHS has set in motion a massive surge in spending to add even more dangerous weapons to ICE and CBP’s arsenal," said Schiff in a statement. His office reviewed government spending and procurement data.
"This misuse of taxpayer dollars to maximally arm federal immigration agents, including those with questionable vetting and insufficient training, must end," the statement continued.
The report comes as DHS heads into its second week of a government shutdown over Homeland Security's immigration enforcement tactics.
The report found that ICE and Border Patrol signed multi-million dollar contracts for tasers, pepper balls and other less lethal weapons soon after the summer of raids and protests against federal immigration enforcement in Los Angeles. In Southern California, residents have described federal agents shooting at them during enforcement operations. Others were injured by federal agents at protests in Los Angeles and Orange County.
John Sandweg, former acting director of ICE during the Obama administration, told LAist that federal investment in "less than lethal" weapons for crowd control were likely linked to ICE's response to protests in L.A.
" Some of this is definitely a byproduct," he said. "It was probably ordered at the time when they were burning through less-than-lethals because of those tactics they were utilizing."
The spending surge also corresponds with a huge increase in investment in ICE and Border Patrol. President Donald Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill" gave Homeland Security an additional $170 billion, and the agencies have been on a hiring spree. ICE grew its number of officers from 10,000 to 22,000 last year, according to DHS.
The press office for Homeland Security questioned the newsworthiness of Schiff’s report.
"A law enforcement agency purchasing law enforcement officers guns and non-lethal resources— really riveting reporting," the office wrote in an email to LAist.
As the government shutdown continues, Democrats are pushing for reforms to immigration enforcement like prohibiting agents from wearing masks and implementing a "use of force" policy.
What are ICE and Border Patrol buying?
ICE committed to spending $76 million in 2025 on guns, less lethal weapons, ammunition and related gear, compared to $16 million in 2024, according to Schiff's report.
Federal immigration agencies contracted primarily with two firearm manufacturers to buy guns in 2025, per the report.
ICE placed orders with Geissele Automatics for more than $9 million for "precision long guns and accessories" and Glock Inc. for nearly $1.6 million for 9mm handguns and accessories. Border Patrol contracted with the same companies for $3.1 million in rifles and around $3.9 million for 9mm handguns and accessories – plus a quarter million towards submachine guns from a third company.
Together, ICE and Border Patrol contracted for more than $30 million in ammunition and $25 million in "less lethal" weapons including tasers, pepper ball guns and pepper sprays.
Eva Bitran, the director of immigrant rights at the ACLU of Southern California, told LAist that the report is especially concerning in the context of the immigration sweeps that agents have been conducting across Los Angeles.
"Agents descend upon a car wash or a Home Depot parking lot or a day labor corner, or anywhere that they see Brown folks congregate, and use a huge show of force," Bitran said. "They come out with assault rifles, sometimes holstered, sometimes drawn, in military attire and detain people immediately without knowing anything about them."
San Bernardino man describes violent encounter with agents
San Bernardino resident Daniel Rascon described one such encounter at a Congressional public forum on Homeland Security agents' use of force earlier this month.
The 23-year-old U.S. citizen said he was with two family members running an errand one morning in August when masked federal agents in two unmarked cars boxed their truck in. Rascon's father-in-law Francisco Longoria was driving. Rascon said the agents broke the car windows, punched Longoria in the face and did not identify themselves. As Longoria attempted to drive away, Rascon said, one of the agents opened fire.
"I will never forget the fear and having to quickly duck my head as the shots were fired at the car," Rason told the Democratic politicians at the forum, fighting back tears. "Any one of those bullets could have killed me or two people that I love."
Homeland Security said in a statement that the enforcement operation was targeted and that a Border Patrol officer "was forced to discharge his firearm in self-defense" after Longoria drove at the officers and hit two of them.
Last month, federal agents also opened fire while conducting an immigration operation in South L.A., as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
"How many more shots need to be fired?," California Assemblymember Mike Gipson, who represents the area, said in a statement after the incident. "How many more agents need to bring their reckless gunplay into our safe spaces?"
Immigration enforcement operations are continuing despite the Homeland Security shutdown.
