EXCLUSIVE— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents say misinformation and misleading videos are putting them at risk, fueling public hostility and attacks on officers. Fox News Digital embedded with ICE teams in Dallas and Houston in September to see their work firsthand and separate fact from fiction about their mission.

Acting Assistant Field Office Director in the Houston field office, Tom Persad, told Fox News Digital during the ride-along that it is a “privilege to live in America.”

“I don’t think anyone wants to have criminals living in their community breaking in and robbing them, stealing from them, raping them, child predators, gangbangers. And if these people commit their crimes, they should go back to their home country. It’s a privilege to live here,” Persad said.

A Dallas assistant office field director, who Fox News Digital joined for the ride-along, emphasized that ICE has targeted individuals when conducting arrests.

DALLAS ICE AGENTS STRESS FOCUS ON CRIMINALS DURING RIDE-ALONG, DAY BEFORE SHOOTING

“We want to keep our community safe,” he continued. “Stop believing what people are posting as far as like ICE is out there conducting raids, ICE is just arresting anyone they see, or they’re profiling.”

Persad in Houston emphasized that the theory that ICE is conducting raids against one particular demographic is not true.

“It’s just not one specific community. It just depends on their – the criminality,” Persad said.

Fox News Digital rode along with the Houston team on Sept. 12. Persad said many protesters and critics of ICE do not understand how the agency operates and criticized media outlets for misrepresenting ICE’s work.

“I’m not going to say all media, but the majority of them don’t put out the whole story. They just put out part of it. So then the general public or even the communities, they just, they’re not… informed fully, so then they just make a rash decision, or a rash conclusion about what we’re doing,” Persad said.

INSIDE DALLAS ICE FACILITY IN AFTERMATH OF SNIPER ATTACK THAT KILLED TWO DETAINEES

He said this misinformation has real-world consequences.

“I feel if the media would actually tell the whole story, it would make everyone’s lives a lot easier doing this job, and also you don’t have these people resisting and running and fleeing and fighting and assaulting officers. Assaults have gone up dramatically in the last six to seven months.”

“Folks need to be better educated on as far as like our agency and what we do,” the Dallas officer emphasized.

During the Houston ride-along, agents arrested a Syrian citizen, a convicted child predator who was found to possess child sexual abuse materials in Harris County, Texas, and was admitted to the U.S. as a non-immigrant visitor but failed to return to his home country by the required date.

SURVEILLANCE VIDEO SHOWS DALLAS ICE AGENTS PROTECTING DETAINEES AS GUNFIRE RAINS DOWN ON FACILITY

Persad said following the arrest, “It’s not just the Hispanic community that we look at. We look at everybody. And it just depends on, the case today might come up with someone from Mexico. Tomorrow it might be someone from England, or Canada, or South America, or even Africa. We just don’t target one specific community.”

During the Dallas ride-along, agents arrested an illegal immigrant from Mexico with a long rap sheet of alleged crimes from his home country.

The individual ICE targeted that morning from Mexico had committed fraud while applying for status in the U.S., and had also faced allegations ranging from murder to money laundering that he hadn’t disclosed, according to the Dallas agent.

EXCLUSIVE: IMMIGRATION AGENT REVEALS ‘BIGGEST FEAR’ AFTER DEADLY ANTI-ICE SHOOTING

Agents also stressed the importance of respect and safety during operations.

“Communication is key. And I think for individuals that we encounter on a daily basis, if we stay professional, and we treat them with respect, we expect the same back, right? And for the most part, that’s what we get,” the Dallas agent said.

He continued, “Safety is going to be the number one concern, but also it’s not just our safety, it’s their safety as well. So it’s very important, I think, to have that professional communication and treating everyone the way they should be, right? We’re all human beings.”

The Dallas ride-along took place on Sept. 23. Just one day later, a gunman opened fire at the ICE field office in Dallas, authorities confirmed.

ICE officers are facing a surge in death threats and violent attacks as they carry out the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration.

Statistics released by the Department of Homeland Security last month show that ICE officers are experiencing an 8,000% increase in death threats targeting ICE officers.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the threats come as officers “risk their lives every single day to remove the worst of the worst.”

“From bounties placed on their heads for their murders, threats to their families, stalking, and doxxing online, our officers are experiencing an unprecedented level of violence,” she said.

Fox News’ Alba Cuebas-Fantauzzi and Elizabeth Pritchett contributed to this report.

The death of 18-year-old cheerleader Anna Kepner aboard a Carnival cruise ship sparked grief, confusion and tension within her large, fractured family.

Her mother’s account — that she quietly attended the funeral against her ex-husband’s wishes while fearing arrest over unpaid child support — underscores how tragedy and estrangement can collide in the public eye.

“I am not OK… is exactly how I feel,” Heather Wright, the estranged mother of Anna, told Fox News Digital.

TEEN FOUND DEAD ON CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP DIED FROM MECHANICAL ASPHYXIATION, RULED HOMICIDE: REPORT

She split with Anna’s father, Christopher Kepner, when their daughter was 4 and moved to Oklahoma, she said. Despite the estrangement, however, she said she tried to keep in touch over the years.

“She was my daughter, and I loved her with all of my heart and soul,” she said.

She said she was kept out of her daughter’s life after she moved away. She was even left out of her daughter’s online obituary, at first. An edited version added her name and removed references to other relatives.

Wright said she was told not to attend her daughter’s memorial service, which was held last week, claiming that her estranged ex threatened to have her arrested over years of unpaid child support.

CHEERLEADER’S CRUISE SHIP DEATH HAS FAMILY POINTING FINGERS

“They said I never went, but I did,” she told Fox News Digital. “I didn’t want to be seen, so I made sure no one seen me — plus they can’t stop me from going anyway, even though Chris said he would have me arrested for back child support.”

Christopher Kepner has not responded to Fox News Digital’s attempts to reach him. He is now with his third wife, Shauntel Kepner, whose 16-year-old son has been described as a “suspect” in court documents as part of an ongoing custody dispute between her and her ex-husband, Thomas Hudson.

ANNA KEPNER DIES MYSTERIOUSLY DURING FAMILY VACATION ON CARNIVAL CRUISE SHIP: TIMELINE OF EVENTS

There have been no publicly announced criminal charges in the case, and the FBI has not publicly designated the teen or anyone else as a suspect.

However, both Shauntel and Hudson have referenced the FBI investigation in court filings.

The FBI, which is conducting the investigation, declined to comment.

Anna, 18, was found dead aboard the Carnival Horizon on Nov. 7 during a family vacation with her father, stepmom, grandparents and some of her siblings.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Anna’s death has reportedly been ruled a homicide by “mechanical asphyxiation,” but authorities have not announced any suspects or arrests. She was found dead in her cabin in a room she shared with her stepbrother, relatives have said.

“Why am I the bad guy?” Wright asked. “He put them in the same room together.”

Women’s weightlifters Hailey Sikman and Jade Dickens thought they were competing at a normal World’s Strongest Woman championship last weekend. Instead, they witnessed the nation’s latest trans athlete controversy unfurl up close. 

Transgender athlete Jammie Booker won first place in the women’s heavyweight division, beating female competitor Andrea Thompson by one point. However, once Booker’s biological sex was revealed, Official Strongman revised the results to give Thompson first place. 

Sikman and Dickens told Fox News Digital they had no knowledge of Booker’s biological sex until after the competition. 

“Unfortunately, Jammie Booker got the best of Andrea Thompson right there at the end. And it wasn’t known to the promoters, to any of the athletes, until after the award ceremony and after everyone was gone that Jammie Booker is actually Jeffrey Booker, and he is a man,” Dickens said.

“I was beyond mad. … Had I known, I definitely would have done something about it, personally would have done something about it prior to the event being over. But nobody knew. Nobody knew he was a man.” 

Dickens said she believes the organization would have removed Booker from competition had it known of the athlete’s birth sex. 

“Had they had the knowledge, they would have taken care of it before the competition even started,” Dickens said.

Sikman also claimed she didn’t know of Booker’s biological sex until after the competition was over. Still, Sikman had her suspicions about Booker based on the athlete’s appearance. 

“He definitely conned himself in and manipulated a situation,” Sikman said. 

During the competition, Sikman tried to interact with the trans athlete, believing Booker was a woman, she said.

‘WORLD’S STRONGEST WOMAN’ COMPETITOR SPEAKS OUT AFTER WINNING TITLE FOLLOWING TRANS CONTROVERSY 

“I tried to talk to him, and he kind of just blew me off,” Sikman added. 

Dickens said of Booker’s behavior during the event, “I didn’t personally speak to him. … He was actually pretty quiet. … In my opinion, the reason he didn’t talk much was because his voice would have revealed he was male.” 

Sikman claimed she spoke to other competitors who recalled Booker’s behavior during the weekend.

“A lot of other women were saying he was just being arrogant and talking s—,” Sikman said. 

Dickens also recalled what she heard from other competitors about Booker’s conduct, saying, “In that competition atmosphere, everyone is doing a little digging. … [Trash talking] happens. It happens in all sports.” 

On Monday, Booker posted a video to Instagram thanking numerous people for their assistance in what was originally a victory.

A YouTube video from what appears to be Booker’s own channel, dating back to 2017, shows Booker claiming to be “trans.” 

According to Strongman Archives, Booker had not competed in women’s events prior to this past June. It is unclear whether Booker had previously competed as a man.

Official Strongman announced that Booker would be disqualified. Strongman said it had attempted to reach out to Booker, “but a response has not been received.” 

Sikman hopes to see stricter measures to prevent males from sneaking into women’s competitions, saying she hopes “genetic testing or some sort of vetting process” can be employed by Official Strongman.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP 

Dickens said she’s been an advocate for protecting women’s sports since 2018 because she had to witness males compete in her powerlifting federation in the past. She hopes the public takes notice of this issue. 

“People keep saying this is a non-issue, that this does not happen that often, that this is going to go away,” Dickens said. “Where is our trust? This just breaks down the fabric of womanhood. … We want to be trusting of everyone around us, and when men come in and deceitfully try to take what is rightfully a woman’s, it erodes the trust for that woman.” 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.