• Every day, people log into anonline forumfor current and formerHomeland SecurityInvestigations (HSI) officers to share their thoughts on the news of the day and complain about their colleagues inImmigration and Customs Enforcement(ICE). • “ERO is too busy dressing up as Black Ops Commandos with Tactical body armor, drop down thigh rigs, balaclavas, multiple M4 magazines, and Punisher patches, to do an Admin arrest of a non criminal, non-violent EWI that weighs 90 pounds and is 5 foot 2, inside a secure Federal building where everyone has been screened for weapons,” wrote one user in July 2025. • (ERO stands for Enforcement and Removal Operations; along with HSI, it’s one of the two major divisions of ICE, and is responsible for detaining and deporting immigrants.) The forum describes itself as a space for current and prospective HSI agents, “designed for the seasoned HSI Special Agent as well as applicants for entry level Special Agent positions.” HSI is the division within ICE whose agents are normally responsible for investigating crimes like drug smuggling, terrorism, and human trafficking. • In the forum, users discuss their discomfort with the US’s mass deportation efforts, debate the way federal agents have interacted with protesters and the public, and complain about the state of their working conditions. • Members have also had heated discussions about the shooting of two protesters in Minneapolis, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and the ways immigration enforcement has taken place around the US. • The forum is one of several related forums where people working in different parts of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) share experiences and discuss specific details of their work.WIRED previously reportedon a forum where current and former deportation officers from ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) similarly complained about their jobs and discussed the way the agency was conducting immigration raids.

Article Summaries:

  • An online forum used by current and former Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) officers has drawn attention for its harsh criticism of colleagues in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Members post complaints about ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) tactics, mass deportation policies, and working conditions, and discuss incidents such as the shooting of two Minneapolis protesters. The site, marketed as a space for seasoned HSI agents and applicants, also covers broader DHS issues and has overlapping users with a previously reported CBP/ICE forum. The exchange highlights internal tensions and concerns over agency conduct amid ongoing immigration enforcement debates.

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