U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed support for renaming the controversial immigration enforcement agency Immigration and Customs Enforcement as “NICE,” as debates continue over the agency’s role and public image.
His spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt posted about the name change on the platform X on Monday.
Previously, Trump had shared a post on his Truth Social platform in which the conservative influencer Alyssa Marie suggested adding the word National to the agency’s current name – Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This would create the acronym NICE.
"Great idea!!! Do it. President DJT," wrote Trump.
It was initially unclear how realistic a change to the agency’s name would be. It falls under the Department of Homeland Security.
According to the U.S. political newspaper The Hill, renaming a federal agency generally requires a resolution by Congress in the form of a law. Only in this way can the legal basis on which the agency was founded - and thus its name - be changed.
ICE officers have been the subject of many negative headlines in recent months due to the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens and the heavy-handed crackdown on migrants.
The situation escalated particularly in Minneapolis, in the state of Minnesota. Gregory Bovino, the hardliner then in charge of operations, was subsequently forced to resign.
His successor, Border Patrol Commander Tom Homan, put an end to the raids in Minnesota, thereby easing the situation.
