US (United States) President Donald Trump has backed a proposal to rename Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as National Immigration and Customs Enforcement (NICE), a move supporters say would force media outlets to refer to federal agents as “nice” agents.
The idea was first suggested by conservative social media influencer Alyssa Marie, who posted on X on March 25, 2026: “I want Trump to change ICE to NICE (National Immigration and Customs Enforcement). So the media has to say NICE agents all day, every day”.
Trump publicly endorsed the suggestion on Sunday through his platform Truth Social. Sharing a screenshot of Marie’s post, he wrote, “GREAT IDEA!!! DO IT”.
The proposal comes as ICE continues to face criticism from the public and media following incidents involving federal agents and the deaths of two US citizens.
Among them were Renée Nicole Good, a 37-year-old woman who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis in January, and Alex Pretti, a nurse who was later killed in a separate incident involving federal agents. Their deaths sparked protests and renewed scrutiny of ICE operations across the country.
Under US law, changing the name of a federal agency such as ICE would require congressional approval and legislation to amend the agency’s statutory authority.
However, the Trump administration has previously moved to rename the Department of Defense as the Department of War without congressional approval, raising questions about whether a similar route could be taken in this case.
It remains unclear whether the administration will formally pursue the name change for ICE or seek congressional approval before moving forward.
