Leak of 41,000 DHS Personnel Records Reveals ICE Roles and Internal Operations

By Staff, Agencies

A newly released collection of US Department of Homeland Security [DHS] records has identified officials involved in deportations, undercover operations, and investigations into government leaks, according to the organizations that published the material.

The nonprofit Distributed Denial of Secrets announced Wednesday that it had made public information covering more than 41,000 DHS personnel, offering a detailed look at the department’s internal structure as it implements President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign.

The organization attributed the data to a hacktivist group calling itself the Department of Peace.

The records can be explored through Icepick, a search tool developed by researcher and activist Maia Arson Crimew that allows users to examine employee names, offices, and assignments, Reuters reported.

“This dataset is massive in terms of both size and impact,” Crimew said in a statement released by Distributed Denial of Secrets.

“It provides an unprecedented look into the Department of Homeland Security’s organizational structure, highlighting which people do what work across multiple DHS agencies, including ICE,” the activist added, referring to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Distributed Denial of Secrets co-founder Emma Best described the disclosure as “extraordinary,” saying the material identifies officials overseeing covert and undercover operations, investigations into government leaks and personnel involved in the department’s deportation programs.

In response, DHS said it was aware of a “potential breach” and was working to address the situation and protect its personnel.

Reuters reported that it had independently corroborated some employee details but could not authenticate the entire collection or establish how the information had been obtained.

The disclosure comes as DHS and ICE continue carrying out the immigration crackdown ordered by Trump after he returned to office in January 2025.

Thousands of undocumented immigrants have been detained and deported under the campaign, which has also resulted in the detention of some US citizens.

Last month, DHS announced a “surge in sanctuary cities” as the administration stepped up enforcement efforts. These jurisdictions generally limit cooperation between local authorities and federal immigration agencies.

According to a fact sheet published by the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute, arrests and deportations have increased in recent months, exceeding enforcement levels under former President Joe Biden.

The institute reported that DHS, including ICE, “completed about 980,000 deportations” during the first 18 months of Trump’s second term.

The release of the personnel records has drawn attention to the department’s internal operations and the security of information concerning government employees as the administration continues its immigration enforcement drive.