{"id":16618,"date":"2026-01-28T19:13:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-28T19:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=16618"},"modified":"2026-01-28T19:13:40","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T19:13:40","slug":"these-patches-are-clues-to-identifying-immigration-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=16618","title":{"rendered":"These Patches Are Clues to Identifying Immigration Agents"},"content":{"rendered":"

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When federal Immigration<\/span> agents gunned down 37-year-old Minneapolis resident Alex Pretti <\/a>on Saturday, their identities were almost completely concealed. They were mostly wearing civilian clothes, and masks obscured their faces. With authorities refusing to disclose their names and records, the agents involved in the killing have so far remained anonymous.<\/p>\n

But there is one distinguishing characteristic that could help identify the man who first opened fire: the patches on the back of his vest. One is the state flag of Texas. Another appears to read \u201cU.S. Border Patrol.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n \"Screenshot\"
\n A screenshot from a TikTok video shows a Texas flag patch on the back of the federal agent who opened fire on Alex Pretti, as well as a patch that appears to read: “U.S. Border Patrol.”<\/span>\u00a0Screenshot: TikTok\/@shitboxhyundai<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Insignia like these have become a common sight as federal agents swarm U.S. cities to carry out the Trump administration\u2019s anti-immigrant policies. When Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old U.S. citizen in Minneapolis this month, his tactical vest was adorned with \u201cPolice\u201d and \u201cFederal Agent\u201d patches. When a mob of officers created a civil disturbance in which Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva in Arizona was pepper-sprayed<\/a>, many were wearing a distinctive red shoulder insignia<\/a>, some with vest patches reading \u201cHSI.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patches like these are often the only means to identify a federal officer\u2019s agency or a particular unit within it. But amid<\/a> mounting scrutiny<\/a> of the Trump administration\u2019s brutal tactics<\/a>, government agencies are attempting to keep information about their personnel, operations, and even their uniforms under wraps \u2013 right down to the patches that officers wear.<\/p>\n

So The Intercept built a guide of the official shoulder patches ICE uses for unit identification, as well as known insignias worn by U.S. Customs and Border Protection or CBP personnel and unofficial patches conveying personal or political messages that federal agents have been spotted wearing. It\u2019s a step toward transparency that immigration authorities refuses to provide to the American people on its own.<\/p>\n

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The most common patches are the least helpful. Many ICE agents affix to their vests or plate carriers vague patches reading \u201cPolice,\u201d \u201cFederal Agent,\u201d or \u201cFederal Officer.\u201d Border Patrol agents often wear \u201cPolice\u201d patches as well. Some common patches are also strictly fashion choices, such as earth-tone U.S. flags designed to blend into military camouflage.<\/p>\n

But federal agents\u2019 outfits are sometimes adorned with lesser-known acronyms that offer additional information. \u201cERO<\/a>\u201d is short for ICE\u2019s Enforcement and Removal Operations<\/a>, a unit tasked with the standard immigration enforcement process: identifying, arresting, and deporting immigrants. \u201cHSI<\/a>\u201d stands for ICE\u2019s Homeland Security Investigations unit, which formerly focused on transnational crimes<\/a>, ranging from narcotics smuggling to cybercrime, but has been pressed into service as an anti-immigrant force.<\/p>\n

\n \"Federal
\n Patches worn by immigration authorities in northwest Washington on Sept. 29, 2025 ranged from vague, “Police Federal Officer,” to specific, “ERO,” indicating their role with ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations unit. <\/span>\u00a0Photo: Jacquelyn Martin\/AP<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CBP\u2019s Border Patrol agents generally wear\u00a0 \u201cU.S. Border Patrol\u201d patches on their vests. Others sport \u201cU.S. Border Patrol<\/a>\u201d or \u201cU.S. Customs and Border Protection<\/a>\u201d patches<\/a> on their sleeves. Specialized components of agencies, like CBP\u2019s Air and Marine Operations unit, wear unique official patches<\/a>. Others may wear unofficial morale patches<\/a> designed to foster esprit de corps.<\/p>\n

Last year, Cary L\u00f3pez Alvarado<\/a>, a U.S. citizen who was nine months pregnant, was harassed by a Border Patrol agent wearing a patch with the image of the Punisher war skull over a thin-green-line Border Patrol variant of the American flag.\u00a0 The iconic logo of the brutal Marvel Comics vigilante anti-hero from the 1970s, The Punisher, was inspired, in part, by\u00a0the\u00a0\u201ctotenkopf,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0a skull-and-bones logo worn by the Nazi SS during World War II. The Punisher\u2019s symbol has been embraced by members of the U.S. military and law enforcement personnel in the 21st century. CBP did not immediately return a request for comment about the patch.<\/p>\n

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\n Left, a badge and patch from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations unit; right, the so-called “Eyes” patch of CBP’s San Angelo Air Branch.<\/span>\u00a0Credit: U.S. Customs and Border Protection<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Agents with the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, which specializes in high-risk operations like counterterrorism missions, often wear vests or shoulder patches that read: BORTAC. Some BORTAC agents have been spotted with a special patch on their plate carriers that features wings and a stylized starburst or compass over an American flag. (DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told NBC that the agents who killed Pretti included members of the Border Patrol Tactical Unit<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Inside ICE, there are even lower-profile and less-documented, although official, insignia. Both ERO and HSI<\/a> have Special Response Teams, tactical units devoted to higher-risk operations, like dealing with individuals with a history of violence or resisting arrest.\u00a0 There are 30 HSI offices across the country, including Miami which also has a HSI Caribbean attach\u00e9 office.<\/p>\n

Emily Covington, until recently an assistant director in ICE\u2019s Office of Public Affairs, sent The Intercept images of 21 patches. \u201cI gave you all the patches,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

This wasn\u2019t true, as a nameless ICE official later acknowledged. \u201c[W]e are not going to spend time providing you with each and every patch,\u201d he emailed from an official \u201cICE media\u201d account. Covington said that ICE officials feared that The Intercept would use the patches to \u201cdox people,\u201d though she also dared The Intercept to pursue the story. \u201cWe hope that you go ahead and report,\u201d she said. \u201cGo for it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Intercept compiled this set of images released by the Department of Homeland Security and open-source photographs.<\/p>\n

ICE and DHS failed to respond to numerous follow-up questions dealing with insignia and patches submitted scores of times over a period of months as well as a request to speak with an expert on ICE uniforms and adornments. CBP acknowledged receipt of The Intercept\u2019s questions but did not respond to them prior to publication.<\/p>\n

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\n Some of the common patches worn by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol agents.<\/span>\u00a0Clockwise from upper left: Photo: Benjamin Applebaum\/Released\/DHS; Mikaela McGee\/Released\/DHS; Kevin Carter\/Getty Images; Michael Siluk\/UCG\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images; Kevin Carter\/Getty Images. <\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Department of Homeland Security<\/span> provided The Intercept with images of 21 HSI special activities unit patches. The designs and aesthetics vary. HSI Arizona features a malevolent-looking rattlesnake coiled around an assault rifle. HSI Los Angeles<\/a> includes a California condor clutching an automatic weapon in its talons. And HSI San Juan Puerto Rico\u2019s image of SWAT officers appears to have been cribbed from sketches by the late artist Dick Kramer<\/a>, the \u201cfather\u201d of modern tactical artwork<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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\n An array of patches from ICE\u2019s Homeland Security Investigations special activities units nationwide. patches<\/span>\u00a0Department of Homeland Security<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

One notable absence from the patch collection provided by Covington is a shoulder patch worn by personnel from the St. Paul Field Office, where Ross works. (Ross is reportedly an ERO team leader<\/a> and an SRT member.) The St. Paul office\u2019s Special Response Team patch<\/a> was spotted on the camouflage uniform of a masked ICE officer during a raid of a Minneapolis Mexican restaurant last year. The circular patch depicts a bearded Viking skull over an eight-prong wayfinder or magical stave \u2013 a Nordic image called a \u201cVegvisir.\u201d\u00a0 The symbol has sometimes been co-opted by\u00a0far-right extremists<\/a>. ICE and DHS failed to respond to repeated requests for comment about the St. Paul patch.<\/p>\n

Another patch missing from the images supplied by ICE is the Phoenix Special Response Team<\/a> patch that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was seen wearing on a tactical vest<\/a> last year. The HSI Rapid Response Team<\/a> patch was also missing from the official list.<\/p>\n

The Intercept also inquired about various other patches<\/a> found in online photos<\/a>, including those posted on social media by the Enforcement and Removal Operations Newark<\/a> field office covering New Jersey; the ICE Washington DC and Virginia field offices<\/a>; and blurred out patches published by the ICE ERO Harlingen Field Office in South Texas<\/a>. Neither ICE nor DHS responded to repeated questions from The Intercept about these patches.<\/p>\n

In addition to official insignia, some federal agents have been spotted wearing seemingly unofficial patches<\/a> to express personal or political predilections that DHS will not explain.<\/p>\n

An ICE officer in Minnesota was spotted<\/a>, for example, wearing a patch reading \u201cDEPLORABLE,\u201d a term some devotees of then-candidate Donald Trump adopted in 2016 after Hillary Clinton said half of his supporters<\/a> belonged in a \u201cbasket of deplorables,\u201d since they were \u201cracist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, [and] Islamophobic.\u201d<\/p>\n

In November, after local reporting drew attention to the deplorable patch, Tanya Roman, the acting ICE communications director, said she would \u00a0\u201clook into<\/a>\u201d it. After The Intercept repeatedly asked for details, Roman replied: \u201cPlease contact DHS.\u201d \u00a0The Department of Homeland Security did not answer The Intercept\u2019s questions about the DEPLORABLE patch.<\/p>\n

\n \"NEW
\n A masked U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent patrolled the halls of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javitz Federal Building in New York City wearing a Superman patch on August 19, 2025. <\/span>\u00a0Photo: Michael Nigro\/Sipa USA via AP<\/span> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Over the summer, masked\u00a0Customs and Border Protection and possibly ICE\u00a0officers in Lower Manhattan were seen wearing Superman patches<\/a> on their uniforms after actor\u00a0Dean Cain<\/a>, who portrayed the comic book character on television decades ago,\u00a0announced his intension to join ICE. \u201cWe stand with Dean Cain,\u201d one agent told amNY<\/a>. Another said: \u201cIt\u2019s just a patch.\u201d<\/p>\n

ICE, DHS and CBP did not return requests for comment on the patch or Cain\u2019s status with ICE.<\/p>\n

For further information on insignia, Covington directed The Intercept to a memo outlining ICE\u2019s \u201capproved HSI SRT uniform and authorized identifiers.\u201d It notes that the \u201cabove-described patches which are not listed as optional shall be worn on all operations\u201d but the sections dealing with those patches are redacted. Covington did not reply to questions about the redacted information. The guidelines also state that: \u201cThe use of military tabs\/\u2019rockers\u2019 or any other type of patch not listed herein, is prohibited,\u201d according to the guidelines, referencing specialized, mostly curved, patches common to both the military and motorcycle clubs.<\/p>\n

In 2024, The Intercept shed light on a racist \u201cHouthi Hunting Club<\/a>\u201d patch \u2013 photos of which were posted to and then disappeared from a Pentagon website \u2013 worn by members of the military.<\/p>\n

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Immigration authorities routinely<\/span> cloak their secrecy<\/a> in fears about the \u201cdangerous doxxing<\/a>\u201d of their personnel and fight accountability<\/a> and transparency at every turn. Over the summer, for example, Noem said<\/a>\u00a0that she was in communication with Attorney General Pam Bondi about prosecuting CNN for reporting on ICEBlock, a crowdsourced application\u00a0that tracks ICE sightings<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Three women who put the home address of an ICE officer online\u00a0were, for example, indicted in September<\/a>\u00a0in Los Angeles on conspiracy charges. \u201cWe will prosecute those who dox ICE agents to the fullest extent of the law.\u201d said\u00a0Noem<\/a>. \u201cWe won\u2019t allow it in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

Covington lobbed similar accusations at The Intercept. \u201cQuite frankly, people here think you\u2019re just doing it to dox people,\u201d said Covington when The Intercept complained about ICE\u2019s months-long foot-dragging on supplying promised images of patches.<\/p>\n

While revealing the names of federal employees such as ICE officials is not doxxing<\/a>, it\u2019s unclear how this reporting would accomplish that. When asked how publishing a picture of a patch could be used to reveal someone\u2019s identity \u2013 much less their phone number, address, Social Security number,\u00a0names of their family members, or similar information \u2013 Covington failed to offer a coherent explanation. \u201cI didn\u2019t think it was possible for what has happened to our officers to happen, but it has,\u201d she replied. \u201cPeople are following our people home every single day.\u201d\u00a0Covington also did not explain how publishing the image of a patch would facilitate people following ICE officers to their homes.<\/p>\n

ICE\u2019s concerns about the public disclosure of patches are especially odd in light of all the unblurred photos<\/a> and video footage<\/a> of maskless officers<\/a> available<\/a> from an online database<\/a> of agents and officials<\/a>, publicly released mugshots<\/a> of ICE personnel<\/a> accused of crimes<\/a>, images<\/a> of agents<\/a> from commercial<\/a> photo agencies<\/a> and the many<\/a> photographs<\/a> of unmasked officers<\/a> posted<\/a> by the War Department<\/a>, DHS<\/a>, and<\/a> ICE<\/a> or photos of agents<\/a> with conspicuous<\/a> and unique tattoos<\/a> found on<\/a> ICE\u2019s own social media<\/a> accounts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, before Border Patrol commander Greg Bovino was ordered out of Minneapolis by the Trump administration, a reporter asked if the agents who gunned down Pretti were on administrative leave. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll agents that were involved in that scene are working, not in Minneapolis, but in other locations,\u201d Bovino\u00a0said. \u201cThat\u2019s for their safety. There\u2019s this thing called doxing. And the safety of our employees is very important to us, so we\u2019re gonna keep those employees safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n