ICE Impersonation Crackdown: New Bill Mandates 7-Year Prison Sentences for Fake Officers and $100K Fines for Counterfeit Gear Sellers

If you’ve ever worried about someone flashing a fake badge or using official-looking gear to intimidate people, this new piece of legislation, the Preventing Fraudulent ICE Impersonation Act of 2025, is aimed squarely at that problem. Simply put, this bill makes it significantly harder—and much more dangerous—to pretend you’re an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, and it slaps massive fines on anyone caught selling the fake gear.

The New Rules of Impersonation

This Act sets up a clear line: if you are not an authorized Department of Homeland Security (DHS) employee, you are prohibited from wearing or displaying anything—clothing, badges, patches—that has “ICE” or “Immigration and Customs Enforcement” on it if a reasonable person could mistake you for a federal officer (SEC. 3). This isn't just about wearing a t-shirt; it’s about using the insignia to project authority you don't have. The consequences for breaking this rule are severe: a fine, up to seven years in federal prison, or both.

For the average person, this means better protection against scams. When fraudsters pretend to be law enforcement, they often target vulnerable communities for extortion or intimidation. By making the penalties so steep, the bill aims to eliminate the incentive for this kind of fraud. Furthermore, Section 4 mandates that the U.S. Sentencing Commission apply a minimum six-month prison sentence enhancement for anyone convicted of impersonating an immigration official. This means the minimum time served gets significantly tougher.

Hitting the Counterfeiters Where It Hurts

The bill also targets the supply chain for fake gear. It is now illegal for any person or business to manufacture, sell, or distribute ICE logos or names without explicit permission from DHS (SEC. 3). If a company violates this, they face a civil penalty of up to $100,000 for every single violation. This is the provision that will likely hit small businesses and online vendors the hardest. Imagine a small screen-printing shop that takes an order for custom patches. If they print fifty fake ICE patches, they could theoretically face a $5 million fine. This massive penalty is clearly designed to wipe out the market for counterfeit federal authority gear entirely. Any illegal gear produced or sold can also be seized and forfeited, effectively taking it off the street (SEC. 4).

Making Sure Everyone Knows

Beyond the penalties, the Act focuses on public awareness and oversight (SEC. 5). The Secretary of Homeland Security is required to launch a public awareness campaign to inform communities about the dangers of impersonation and where to report incidents. They must also set up a national reporting system, including a dedicated hotline and an online portal, so people can quickly and easily report fake officers. This is a crucial step toward protecting the public, as it gives victims a clear, official channel to report fraud rather than relying on local police or general government hotlines. Finally, the Comptroller General is mandated to study the root causes of this impersonation problem every 180 days and report back to Congress, ensuring continuous oversight and data collection on the issue.