The Department of Homeland Security committed to spend more than $144 million on weapons, ammunition and related accessories during the first year of President Donald Trump's second term, according to a new report.
The report compiled data from USASpending.gov and the Federal Procurement Data System and found a sharp increase in spending commitments by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection across multiple weapons categories. In ICE's case, spending was four times higher than in 2024, while CBP's weapons contracts more than doubled.
The document detailed multimillion-dollar DHS contracts included purchases of lethal weapons such as assault-style rifles, pistols and accessories including optical firearm sights and body armor.
In one contract cited in the report, DHS agreed in September 2025 to buy thousands of precision long guns and related equipment intended to "support armed agents and ICE-Office of Firearms and Tactical Programs," in a deal worth $9.1 million.
In a separate deal, CBP ordered $3.25 million in 9mm duty handguns, repair parts and accessories from Glock Inc., followed by an additional order last month worth more than $640,000 for more 9mm handguns from the same company.
"ICE and CBP have together placed orders to purchase thousands of new high-powered lethal weapons at taxpayer expense," the report states.
Beyond firearms, the spending commitments include more than $30 million for ammunition and more than $25 million for less-lethal weapons and other crowd-control devices, including tear gas canisters, pepper spray and Tasers.
According to the report, ICE increased its total contracts for weapons, ammunition and accessories by more than 360 percent, with awards rising from $16 million in 2024 to more than $76 million in 2025.
As noted, most of the spending went toward small arms, ammunition and related accessories, including $30 million for personal armor and $15.46 million for "guns through 30mm," a category that includes pistols, AR-style rifles, submachine guns and accessories.
By contrast, CBP spent more than $68 million on weapons, ammunition and related accessories, more than doubling the $32.97 million the agency spent on the same items in 2024.
"This misuse of taxpayer dollars to maximally arm federal immigration agents, including those with questionable vetting and insufficient training, must end," Schiff said.
When contacted by CNN for comment, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the outlet the issue was a "non-story" and said the agency has also hired thousands of new agents to meet quotas set by the Trump administration.
"It should come as no surprise that we purchase and acquire firearms for law enforcement," she told CNN.
As noted by NBC News, the administration's immigration crackdown has faced growing criticism in recent weeks following the fatal shootings of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, two Minneapolis residents who were killed last month after confrontations with immigration agents.
During the crackdown, hundreds have been injured, and courts in at least four states have found officers used force inappropriately and indiscriminately. Federal officers carrying out President Trump's immigration enforcement operations in cities nationwide have shot 13 people.
"Against this backdrop, this report seeks not only to shine a light on the significant increase in spending by ICE and CBP on weapons, but also to sound the alarm about DHS's growing plans to build a heavily armed domestic police force," the report reads.
Originally published on Latin Times
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