The Arsenal
DHS weapons spending up 360% in one year. AR-15s, precision long guns, drones with thermal cameras. For immigration enforcement.
In fiscal year 2025, weapons manufacturers received a record $120.7 million in Department of Homeland Security contracts. Over $144 million was committed to purchasing weapons, ammunition, and related accessories for immigration enforcement agents. Spending on weapons by ICE and CBP increased by over 360% compared to 2024.
This is not classified. It was reported in February 2026.
What They Bought
- Assault-style rifles. AR-15s and precision long guns, including a $9.1 million order from Geissele Automatics for “precision long guns” (September 2025).
- 9mm duty handguns. Significant orders from Glock Inc.
- “Less-lethal” weapons. Pepper spray launchers, stun guns, detonation distraction devices, tear gas canisters.
- Tactical gear. Body armor, ballistic helmets, riot gear.
- Surveillance hardware. Night vision, thermal cameras mounted on long-range drones, armored vehicles.
DHS has not commented directly on the spending report. They have previously stated that purchasing firearms is “standard for law enforcement.”
Where They Were Used
Reports indicate these weapons have been deployed by federal agents in Minneapolis and Chicago to manage protests.
Critics argue the equipment is better suited for a battlefield than for domestic law enforcement. DHS does not have a military mandate. The U.S. Coast Guard is the only military organization within the department. The agents carrying these weapons are customs officers, immigration investigators, and federal facility security guards.
The Pattern
In 2024, DHS had the paperwork — 350,000 warrantless subpoenas a year, no judicial oversight, quiet institutional compliance.
In 2026, DHS has the guns.
The trajectory from administrative surveillance to armed enforcement is not a conspiracy theory. It’s a procurement timeline. Every contract is public. Every dollar is documented. The escalation happens in spreadsheets, not in secret.
The question the numbers ask — the one nobody in the reporting seems to answer — is: enforcement against whom?
By the time ASHPA exists in this story, the reader has already lived through the real version. The fictional enforcement apparatus isn’t speculative. It’s a line extrapolated from data points that already exist.
Sources: Bloomberg (Feb 2026), NBC News (Feb 2026). DHS contract data via federal procurement records. All figures from published reporting.