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By Billal Rahman and Dan Gooding
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Three federal immigration agents accidentally shot themselves in the leg during routine training exercises within two days last year, according to internal documents reviewed by Newsweek.
A fourth incident involved an accidental taser discharge inside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office.
All three firearm discharges occurred during quarterly training sessions while agents were holstering their weapons, a routine but potentially high-risk moment in firearms handling.
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No one was killed in the incidents, and all injured personnel were treated and released, according to internal incident reports obtained by the watchdog American Oversight through a Freedom of Information Act request and shared with Newsweek.
Two former senior ICE officials told Newsweek that accidental discharges were not uncommon and often involved experienced agents rather than new hires.
Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, for comment.
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ICE has undergone a rapid expansion, with the Department of Homeland Security announcing in January that the agency had hired more than 12,000 new agents. ICE was supercharged with billions in funding after the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in July. All four incidents reviewed by Newsweek came before the passage of President Donald Trump's flagship domestic legislation.
Amid its hiring surge, ICE has faced scrutiny over a spate of accidental discharges and safety lapses among its agents, raising questions about whether the agency can maintain rigorous training and oversight while rapidly expanding its workforce. The administration frames the expansion of the workforce as a fulfillment of Trump's 2024 campaign promise to carry out mass deportations, but critics warn that rapid growth could exacerbate operational risks.
Read More: DHS Confirms ICE Agent Fatally Shot US Citizen in 2025 - Newsweek
ICE and Border Patrol have faced a litany of allegations of excessive use of force, claims of racial profiling and denial of due process rights. The agencies sparked global outrage after federal agents shot and killed Renée Good and Alex Pretti on the streets of Minneapolis.
HSI Agent Accidentally Shoots Self During Firearms Training in Clayton
A Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) employee accidentally shot himself during a routine firearms training session at the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office range in Clayton, California, according to internal agency documents. The employee was injured but reported to be in stable condition.
The incident occurred on March 18, 2025, around 2 p.m., according to internal ICE reports. The employee's supervisor was on-site when the discharge happened and provided immediate first aid. The employee was then transported to a local hospital by other agents participating in the training.
ICE said the accidental discharge happened while the employee was holstering his government-issued service firearm during a quarterly training exercise.
The bullet struck the right upper thigh and exited the lower portion of the same leg. No other injuries were reported.
Officials noted that the employee showed no signs of impairment, and there was no involvement of alcohol. The range officer reported the incident to the sheriff's office, which did not file a police report.
HSI and Enforcement and Removal Operations are both divisions of ICE that operate under the umbrella of DHS.
Second HSI Firearm Discharge Reported the Same Day
On the same day, another HSI employee in San Francisco accidentally discharged their firearm during a routine quarterly exercise, according to the incident reports. The incident also occurred while the agent was holstering their weapon.
The employee was struck in the upper thigh, treated on-site and taken to a local hospital. Officials confirmed no other injuries occurred and that the employee showed no signs of impairment.
"Employee is conscious, breathing, and in good spirit," the report said.
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ERO Officer Injured During Baltimore Training
On March 17, 2025, an Enforcement and Removal Operations officer accidentally discharged his agency-issued firearm during quarterly firearms qualifications in Baltimore, according to the incident report.
The bullet grazed the officer's upper right thigh, leaving a wound about 3 to 4 inches long and 1 inch wide, the report said.
The incident occurred around 11:04 a.m., prompting firearms instructors to immediately halt training activities on the range. First aid was provided on-site, including gauze application and pressure to the wound. The officer was then transported by government vehicle to the University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center in Glen Burnie, Maryland, where he was treated and released later the same day.
Taser Accidentally Discharged at North Carolina ICE Office
A taser accidentally went off at the ICE office in Cary, North Carolina, according to internal documents.
No one was injured in the incident, according to the incident report.
ICE said a deportation officer gave a newly issued taser to an instructor to check it. While inspecting it, the instructor accidentally pulled the trigger. A single probe hit the carpet, and the device ran for about five seconds. The officer collected the probe and wire afterward.
Former ICE Officials and Experts Weigh In
Darius Reeves, who previously served as a field office director for ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations in Baltimore and retired in 2025, said training incidents, while concerning, could occur.
"Accidental incidents do/will occur, unfortunately. Overall, I believe the training and safety mechanisms in place are standard and robust," Reeves told Newsweek.
"Anytime there is a training incident that inflicts harm is a concern. Nevertheless, there can be multiple reasons for such occurrences, the officer or the equipment directly. These incidents are rare in occurrences—at this time, it needs to be quantified over a period of time pursuant to this mass hiring process," he added.
A 2017 research paper found that over 50 percent of unintentional discharges occurred during routine, non-high-threat tasks such as the handling and manipulation of firearms.
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"Under Secretary Noem, DHS agents shoot themselves in the foot and U.S. citizens in the head. It's hard to understand how DHS vets and trains its recruits before unleashing them on the American public, or imagine a grimmer illustration of the U.S.'s self-defeating immigration enforcement policy," Andrew Fels, a staff attorney Al Otro Lado Staff, told Newsweek.
Scott Mechkowski, who retired in 2018 as ICE's deputy field office director for Enforcement and Removal Operations in New York, said accidental discharges were not unique to ICE or HSI and should be viewed in the wider context of federal law enforcement.
Mechkowski cited a U.S. Justice Department review of federal agency shootings from 2000 to 2003—before the inception of ICE—involving the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Marshals Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The review documented 267 total shooting incidents during that period, of which about 38 percent were unintentional discharges, showing that accidental firearm discharges have historically occurred across multiple federal law enforcement agencies.
"Accidental discharges happen," Mechkowski said. "Eighty percent of the time, it's operator error," whether due to an involuntary muscular response under stress, a lapse in human performance or, more rarely, a mechanical issue with a firearm, he added.
He cautioned against framing the recent incidents as evidence of slipping standards tied to DHS's hiring surge. The March discharges occurred before the most recent influx of new hires, he noted, and the officers involved were not rookies fresh from the academy.
"These guys are senior people that make these discharges," he said, adding that it would be misleading to suggest the incidents stem from inexperienced agents flooding the field.
Mechkowski also emphasized the frequency and rigor of federal firearms training. Unlike many local departments, federal officers qualify four times a year with their sidearm and also train regularly with shotguns and rifles. The pistol qualification alone involves 60 timed rounds, with a minimum passing score of 220 out of 260.
"It's not an easy qualification whatsoever," he said.
At the same time, Mechkowski acknowledged that fatigue could be a factor in high-tempo operations. Officers assigned to temporary details may work 12-hour shifts for weeks at a time without days off. "Mental fatigue" can play into mistakes, he said, though he stressed that such pressures did not necessarily indicate a systemic problem across the agency.
In high-stress encounters, Mechkowski added, fundamentals matter most. "Finger off the trigger until you're ready to use it," he said, describing the emphasis placed on muzzle discipline and threat assessment. Drawing a firearm, what officers sometimes call "breaking leather," is not in itself misconduct, he explained, but pointing a weapon without a perceived deadly threat can create serious legal and safety consequences.
Heidi S. Bonner, a criminal justice professor at East Carolina University, said accidental discharges in law enforcement training were often linked to human performance under stress rather than equipment failure.
"Even in controlled training environments, attention narrows, and situational awareness is reduced," Bonner told Newsweek. "Decision-making shifts to relying on heuristics rather than the information processing you might see under routine conditions because the focus is on speed over accuracy, and fine motor coordination deteriorates."
She continued, "Rapid workforce expansion increases risk unless training and leadership practices explicitly address stress and decision-making under pressure."
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