DHS disputes New York Times report on FBI investigating ICE agents

The Department of Homeland Security and The New York Times are going toe-to-toe after the agency accused the outlet of “false” reporting alleging that federal agents across the country were told that the FBI would not be investigating confrontations with ICE officers.

“This is FALSE,” DHS posted on social media. The agency said that “the relationship between DHS and [the Justice Department] in investigating assault on federal officer cases has NOT changed, and [the FBI] will continue to investigate in accordance with agency policy.”

“This administration has been clear, anyone who assaults law enforcement will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” DHS added.

In response, Danielle Rhoades Ha, a spokesperson for The New York Times, said the outlet stands by its reporting, telling Fox News Digital, “We’re confident in the accuracy of our reporting, which revealed that Federal agents around the country were told in recent days that the F.B.I. would no longer investigate confrontations with immigration agents.”

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Rhoades Ha pointed out that the story “included a joint statement from the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security denying that such a change would be enacted.”

The outlet reported that federal agents around the country were told in recent days that the FBI would no longer investigate confrontations with immigration agents, cases that The New York Times wrote, “Sometimes yield evidence that could be used to prosecute Department of Homeland Security agents implicated in violent encounters.”

The Times wrote that if such a policy were enacted it would “sharply limit law enforcement scrutiny of immigration agents” and be “effectively leaving the agency to investigate itself.”

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The outlet added that this comes as the Trump administration “draws mounting criticism over killings at the hands of federal officers.”

ICE officers were involved in two fatal shootings this month in Maine and Texas. This has led to renewed protests against immigration enforcement operations. DHS, meanwhile, has called attention to significantly increased attacks on federal law enforcement officers in the line of duty.

In response to The New York Times, DHS and DOJ doubled down that the report is categorically false and that the relationship between the two agencies has not changed.

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In a joint DHS-DOJ statement shared with Fox News Digital, the agencies reaffirmed they are “partners in addressing crime and upholding the rule of law, while securing the safety and security of American communities.”