DHS Issues Warning Over Drug Cartel Bounties On ICE Agents

A viral TikTok that reportedly celebrated cash bounties on federal immigration officers has drawn a swift and uncompromising reaction from the Department of Homeland Security — and could carry serious consequences for the young people who posted it.

The short clip, which surfaced earlier this week before the account was taken down, showed several teenagers in a defiant tableau: one male lowered his mask and grinned at the camera while rap music played, as an on-screen caption blared, “ICE, we’re on the way. Word in the streets cartels put a $50K bounty on y’all.” Federal officials say the post arrived amid growing concerns about organized criminal groups offering financial rewards to target Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel.

DHS used its own social channels to republish the footage and issue a forceful warning. “FAFO. If you threaten or lay hands on our law enforcement officers, we will hunt you down and you will find out, really quick,” DHS wrote. “We’ll see you cowards soon.” Authorities are treating the clip as more than juvenile posturing, noting the surrounding context of documented bounty networks that allegedly incentivize violence against ICE staff.

Local and federal reporting has detailed how those networks operate. FOX 32 reported that DHS officials described a tiered reward structure — from roughly $2,000 for doxxing agents to as much as $50,000 for the assassination of senior officers — while the Drug Enforcement Administration provided corroborating intelligence linking gangs in Chicago neighborhoods to organized spotting and communications systems. “Gangs in the Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods have ‘spotters’ stationed on rooftops, armed with guns, monitoring law enforcement activity in those areas,” the DEA report said. “Communication is conducted via radio.”

Federal concerns are sharpened by a recent arrest in Dallas. Authorities say Eduardo Aguilar, an undocumented Mexican national living in Texas, used TikTok to solicit the murder of ICE agents, offering $10,000 per agent killed in a post written in Spanish. When agents took Aguilar into custody they found a loaded 9mm handgun in his vehicle — an offense that carries felony liability for an illegal alien in possession of a firearm. Officials contend prompt action averted a potentially deadly strike.

“ICE officers face ambushes, terrorist attacks, and death threats simply for carrying out the immigration laws passed by Congress,” Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “This arrest likely prevented a tragedy and shows that our agents will not be intimidated.” The case, she added, underscores how quickly online rhetoric can translate into lethal plots when criminal networks seek to weaponize social media.

Aguilar’s history also highlights persistent gaps in immigration enforcement: he reportedly entered the United States illegally in 2018 as an unaccompanied minor, was ordered removed by an immigration judge in 2019, yet remained in the country and later amassed a criminal record before his arrest. DHS officials say such examples demonstrate longstanding systemic weaknesses that leave communities and frontline officers exposed.

As investigators continue to trace the origins and reach of bounty chatter, DHS has made clear that threats against personnel — whether posted on apps or shouted in the streets — will be met with decisive response. “This is not a game,” a DHS official said. “When you threaten the men and women who enforce our laws, we will find you.”