Daily, individuals access a digital discussion board for active and retired Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) personnel, where they express their perspectives on current affairs and voice grievances concerning their counterparts within Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) agents are excessively occupied with donning attire reminiscent of Black Ops Commandos, complete with tactical ballistic vests, leg-mounted holsters, face coverings, numerous M4 ammunition clips, and Punisher insignias, to execute an administrative apprehension of an undocumented individual, who is neither a criminal nor violent, weighs 90 pounds, stands 5 feet 2 inches tall, and is located within a secure Federal facility where all individuals have undergone weapons screening,” a forum participant posted in July 2025. (Enforcement and Removal Operations, or ERO, is, alongside HSI, one of ICE’s principal branches, tasked with the apprehension and expulsion of migrants.)
The discussion platform characterizes itself as an arena for active and potential HSI operatives, “conceived for the experienced HSI Special Agent alongside candidates for foundational Special Agent roles.” HSI constitutes the section within ICE whose personnel typically bear the duty of probing offenses such as narcotics illicit transport, acts of terror, and human exploitation.
Within the forum, participants express their unease regarding the United States’ large-scale removal endeavors, deliberate the manner in which government operatives have engaged with demonstrators and citizens, and voice dissatisfaction concerning their employment circumstances. Additionally, members have engaged in fervent debates concerning the gunfire incident involving two demonstrators in Minneapolis, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, as well as the methodologies of immigration apprehension across the US.
This discussion platform is among multiple interconnected online communities where individuals employed in various divisions of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) exchange anecdotes and delve into particular aspects of their duties. WIRED had earlier documented a similar platform where active and retired removal agents from ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) similarly voiced grievances about their employment and deliberated the agency’s operational approach to immigration sweeps. The HSI discussion board seems to be interconnected, potentially featuring some of the identical participants.
Individuals are not required to furnish evidence of their occupation to become members of these discussion boards, and the online environment does not seem to undergo stringent oversight. WIRED has not verified the personal identities of these contributors, although they disseminate information that would probably be accessible only to those profoundly acquainted with the profession. The membership surpasses 2,000 individuals, with contributions dating back to no later than 2004.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) neglected to answer inquiries for feedback.
Subsequent to the fatalities of both Good and Pretti, the forum’s participants demonstrated significant disagreement. Within a discussion dated January 12, five days subsequent to Good being shot by ICE operative Jonathan Ross, a contributor who has participated in the forum since 2016 stated, “In my humble opinion, the circumstances surrounding ICE Operations have escalated to an unparalleled degree of aggression from both the individuals under suspicion and the broader populace. I trust the Attorney General is contemplating the interim abrogation of Civil Liberties (during and within the specific areas where ICE Operations are being executed).”
A participant who became a member of the forum in 2018, self-identifying as a recently departed agent, retorted, “This proposition is commendable and thoroughly justified. These constitute orchestrated, amply funded civil unrests, dare I suggest, an INSURRECTION?!?”
Within a January 16 entry titled “The Firing,” several contributors adopted a more subtle perspective. “I comprehend that it constitutes a legally justifiable discharge and all that entails, but his sole requirement was to move aside; he nearly struck one of his comrades, for heaven’s sake!” penned a contributor who initially joined the forum in March 2022. “A non-criminal US citizen woman fatally shot in the head, televised, for what purpose? It simply does not resonate favorably with me… An experienced Special Response Team (SRT) operative, who managed to neutralize an individual while simultaneously holding a phone, appears to me to have had the option to merely evade the situation.” SRT designates ICE’s specialized, highly skilled rapid deployment unit, whose members receive intensive instruction for engaging in perilous scenarios. USC denotes individuals holding United States citizenship.
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