Overview

• The July 12 order posted on Truth Social gives ICE and other federal officers immediate authority to arrest and detain anyone who assaults agents with rocks, bricks or similar projectiles.
• President Trump directed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan to instruct officers to stop their vehicles and use any means necessary to apprehend those attackers.
• The measure responds to a July 11 incident in Texas where ICE officers in an official vehicle were pelted with rocks and bricks, causing significant damage.
• In his announcement, Trump labeled the assailants “thugs” and “slimeballs,” decrying what he called a broader disrespect for law and order.
• Since assaulting a federal officer is already a federal crime, the directive reinforces existing statutes rather than creating a new offense.