U.S. Immigration and
Customs Enforcement (ICE)
agents are breaking their silence amid a wave of threats, harassment, and public doxing following the rollout of President Donald Trump’s expanded deportation policy. In a rare televised appearance, three ICE officers spoke candidly about the growing dangers they face — and the toll the backlash has taken on their families and morale.
“It’s been really sad to see how we’re being villainized,” said Officer Kristian Moreno during an interview on
My View
with host Lara Trump. “Just doing this interview, I had to talk to my family first. I wanted them to understand this is
something
I believe in. We’re human. We’re doing our jobs — we enforce the law, we don’t make it.”
Moreno, who now serves in Baltimore, began his federal career with TSA and later worked at Customs and Border Protection in San Ysidro, California. He’s one of three agents — alongside Edgardo Centeno and Chris Sandoval — who are speaking out as attacks against ICE agents have reportedly surged by 830% since January, according to the
Department
of Homeland Security.
‘Unprecedented Hostility’
Of the three, Centeno is the most seasoned, having served under four presidential administrations. But he says the hostility ICE now faces is unlike anything he’s ever witnessed.
“The current climate we’re working in is, frankly, unacceptable,” Centeno said, citing heightened tensions in California, New York, and other major cities. “We swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, and we’re doing our jobs — but it’s heartbreaking to see the country this divided.”
Centeno, a New York native who grew up in Puerto Rico, also
served
in the military. He said that despite his commitment to civil liberties, there’s a clear line when public figures use their platform to incite harassment.
“I respect the First Amendment, but when elected officials tell people to target us, that crosses a dangerous line,” he said. “We should not be afraid to do our jobs.”
Concerns Over Safety and Identity
ICE agents have also expressed concerns about recent
legislative
proposals by some Democrats that would prohibit federal immigration officers from wearing face coverings and require highly visible identification. Supporters argue the measures promote transparency, but officers warn they put lives at risk.
Sandoval, who is based in Houston, said that agents are increasingly being filmed and photographed in the field, with their images shared online to expose and shame them.
“It’s unfair,” he said. “We’re serving the country, but people are posting our photos online and calling us out. In the end, that hurts their own communities.”
Sandoval added that while the agents
understand the polarized
views around immigration, the rise in targeted harassment and physical assaults has become personal.
Rising Political Tensions
The Department of Homeland Security has pointed to what it calls “fake narratives” and “reckless rhetoric” from some politicians and media outlets as factors fueling anti-ICE sentiment. Republican lawmakers have strongly criticized efforts to weaken anonymity protections for federal officers, warning such actions will only intensify threats.
As ICE ramps up targeted enforcement under
Trump’s directive
, agents say they hope the public will separate political debates from the individuals tasked with carrying out the law.
“We’re not monsters. We’re not out here chasing families,” Moreno said. “We just want people to understand: we’re doing the jobs we swore an oath to do — nothing more, nothing less.”
