Federal authorities have uncovered a disturbing plot allegedly orchestrated by Mexican criminal organizations to target U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Reports suggest these criminal groups are placing cash bounties on the lives of ICE personnel, with payouts escalating based on the agent’s rank and activities.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revealed on Tuesday that this scheme includes a tiered bounty system: $2,000 is offered for information gathering, such as doxxing agents by releasing photos and personal details. The stakes rise to between $5,000 and $10,000 for kidnapping or non-lethal attacks on immigration officers, reaching up to $50,000 for the assassination of high-ranking officials.

In a statement on social media platform X, DHS emphasized its commitment to justice under President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, asserting that “EVERY criminal, terrorist, and illegal alien will face American justice.”

This alarming revelation follows a report by the Washington Examiner, which highlighted that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) discovered gangs in Chicago had been offered up to $50,000 to assassinate senior ICE officials.

In a scene reflective of the heightened tensions, ICE agents continue their duties, such as reviewing lists of names and court hearing details inside the Federal Plaza courthouse in New York, as seen in a photo taken on June 27, 2025. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)

Gang members in Chicago’s Pilsen and Little Village neighborhoods have positioned armed “spotters” on rooftops to monitor law enforcement activity, according to the outlet’s report.

“Communication is conducted via radio,” DEA officials alleged.

On Oct. 6, federal agents in Chicago arrested a suspected Latin Kings leader accused of offering payments to capture or kill a senior immigration officer involved in Operation Midway Blitz, a sweeping crackdown on those who sought refuge under the city’s sanctuary policies.

Juan Espinoza Martinez, a suspected Latin Kings leader, is accused of offering cash bounties to kill a federal immigration officer. Martinez was arrested on Oct. 6, 2025, in Chicago. (Department of Homeland Security)

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois unsealed a criminal complaint charging 37-year-old Juan Espinoza Martinez with one count of murder for hire. DHS identified the intended target as Commander at Large of the U.S. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino.

“Depraved individuals like Juan Espinoza Martinez — who do not value human life and threaten law enforcement — do NOT belong in this country,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin wrote in a statement. “We will not allow criminal gangs to put hits on U.S. government officials and our law enforcement officers. Thanks to ICE and our federal law enforcement partners, this thug is off our streets and behind bars.”   

Fox News Digital previously reported two illegal immigrants were arrested in Illinois for allegedly weaponizing their vehicles in “deliberate attempts to ram and injure” ICE officers, according to DHS.

Federal law enforcement agents break up protesters outside an immigrant processing center with a barrage of tear gas and pepper balls on Sept. 27, 2025, in Broadview, Illinois.  (Getty Images)

DHS announced on Oct. 3 federal agents had arrested more than 1,000 illegal immigrants in Illinois as part of Operation Midway Blitz.

The operation, led by ICE and Border Patrol, launched Sept. 8 in honor of Katie Abraham, killed in a drunk-driving hit-and-run crash in Illinois earlier this year allegedly caused by an illegal migrant from Guatemala. 

The initiative was designed to take “the worst of the worst” off the streets of Chicago and other parts of the state, according to DHS.

DHS and the Mexican Embassy did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.