ICE Agents Fire on Van in Maryland, Two People Wounded

On the morning of Wednesday, December 24, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents fired on a white van during an enforcement and removal action in Glen Burnie, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, injuring two people, law enforcement officials said. The shooting occurred at about 10:50 to 10:51 a.m. in a residential neighborhood outside Baltimore, and the van ultimately came to rest in a wooded area behind houses.

Anne Arundel County Police said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations agents were the only officials involved in the shooting. According to police statements and federal accounts, agents approached the van and the vehicle allegedly attempted to run over them when they made contact. In response, ICE agents fired at the vehicle, after which the van accelerated and then crashed into the wooded area.

Two people were transported to area hospitals. Authorities said one person inside the van was shot and taken to the hospital in stable condition. A second person who was outside the van suffered minor injuries and was also hospitalized. Officials described neither injury as life threatening. No names, ages or formal charges have been released and there has been no public account from the ICE agents involved or from the occupants of the van.

Federal and local authorities opened parallel inquiries. Anne Arundel County Police said they will investigate the shooting. The FBI said it is investigating an alleged assault on the agents, and ICE announced an internal review of the use of force. The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement attributed to Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin that said, “Continued efforts to encourage illegal aliens and violent agitators to actively resist ICE will only lead to more violent incidents.” Maryland Governor Wes Moore posted on X that he was “aware of the ICE-involved shooting” and that his office would share more information as the investigation unfolds.

DHS and other reports noted the enforcement action was targeting two men believed to be in the United States illegally. The department said the subjects were from Portugal and El Salvador. Beyond nationality, officials have not released further identifying information or legal justification for the enforcement action.

The shooting occurred on Christmas Eve and comes amid heightened attention to ICE operations after a separate incident earlier in the week in Minnesota in which agents fired at a man accused of resisting arrest. Civil rights advocates and local officials have increasingly called for transparency and clearer protocols governing when federal immigration agents may employ lethal force.

Investigators will need to examine physical evidence, forensic analysis of the scene, and any available video or witness statements to determine whether the use of force complied with federal policy and state law. The overlapping investigations by local police, the FBI, and ICE are likely to shape outcomes for both potential criminal or administrative actions and broader public debate about federal immigration enforcement and accountability.