Overview
- Federal data show ICE spent about $71.5 million on small arms and related gear from January 20 through October 18, a roughly 636 percent jump from the same period in 2024.
- A single September 29 order exceeded $9 million for semi-automatic and automatic rifles, nearly matching ICE’s total small-arms spend for much of last year.
- A September 19 payment for $61,218 was labeled under the PSC for “guided missile warheads,” but the listed supplier, Quantico Tactical, says the classification appears erroneous.
- DHS publicly denied that ICE is buying guided missile components, and related records describe the purchases as “multiple distraction devices” used by ICE’s Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs.
- The spending surge tracks with new funding and hiring under the administration’s legislation, while a federal judge in Chicago has restricted agents’ use of non-lethal munitions and recently ordered body cameras during protest responses.