The 47 Morning Update with Ben Ferguson

Episode: "Bounties for ICE Agents as Trump mulls going after Cartels where they Live"

Release Date: October 16, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Ben Ferguson addresses two major unfolding stories:

1. Mexican Drug Cartels Placing Bounties on U.S. Law Enforcement — escalating threats specifically targeting ICE and Border Patrol officers, including a tiered bounty system facilitating attacks via U.S. gangs.
2. President Trump’s Aggressive Response to Cartels — expanding military and covert actions against drug cartels, targeting not just drug-laden boats but signaling possible operations on land and in other countries like Venezuela.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Cartel Bounty System Targeting ICE Agents

• Confirmed Escalation in Threats

  • Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intelligence reveals Mexican cartels have established a tiered bounty program (10:05), offering cash for information, attacks, kidnappings, and assassinations targeting U.S. immigration officers.
  • Tiers Detailed:
    • $2,000 for doxing/surveillance
    • $5,000–10,000 for assaults or kidnappings
    • Up to $50,000 for killing senior officials (05:12, 07:21, 09:35)

• Operational Tactics

  • Doxxing ICE agents and their families.
  • Surveilling and attempting to ambush personnel.
  • Collaboration with U.S. street gangs, especially highlighted in Chicago.
  • “Cartel-linked tiered bounty system...with the amounts reported up to $50,000 for killing of high ranking officials is already in the marketplace.” (06:46, Ben Ferguson)

• Public Response and Security Measures

  • DHS coordinating with DOJ and local partners.
  • Heightened security and operational secrecy.
  • Major arrest: Latin King gang member in Illinois accused of placing a hit on a U.S. Border Patrol leader (06:01).
  • Social media crackdown: Facebook group organizing “ICE spotting” removed for promoting targeted harm (07:08–08:55).
  • “The wave of violence against ICE has been driven by online apps and social media campaigns designed to put ICE officers at risk just for doing their jobs.” — AG Pam Bondi (08:45)

• Political Reactions

  • Reports of local politicians in Chicago expressing anti-ICE sentiments, potentially inflaming the situation.
  • “Democrats continuing to advocate for the assault, the doxxing, the attacking of ICE agents. Now they're literally aligned with the cartels in Mexico.” — Ben Ferguson (11:03)

2. President Trump’s Response: “Going After Cartels Where They Live”

• Military Actions

  • U.S. military has conducted at least five fatal strikes against alleged cartel drug boats in the Caribbean since September (11:29).
  • President Trump signals an intent to expand U.S. action:
    “We are certainly looking at land now because we've got the sea very well under control...I view that as a good thing, not a bad thing.” — Donald Trump (12:01)

• Shift to Land-Based Targets

  • Trump dissatisfied with decades-long Coast Guard catch-and-release approach, emphasizing a harder line:
    “We've been doing that for 30 years and it has been totally ineffective...they have faster boats...But they're not faster than missiles.” — Donald Trump (12:32)
  • No specific details yet about the nature of potential land operations.

• Covert Operations and Beyond

  • Trump confirms authorizing CIA covert actions in Venezuela, asserting links between Venezuela’s regime, drug flows, and cartel activity.
  • Pressed on targeting Maduro:
    “I don't want to answer a question like that, that's a ridiculous question for me to be given...but I think Venezuela is feeling heat now.” — Donald Trump (13:45)
  • Trump administration does not recognize Maduro as legitimate, calling him a “drug kingpin.”

• Legal and Political Backdrop

  • Cartels like Sinaloa designated as foreign terrorist organizations (15:02).
  • White House notified lawmakers: U.S. now in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug smugglers.
  • Democrats Adam Schiff and Tim Kaine, joined by Republicans Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski, tried to block U.S. hostilities against non-state groups with a War Powers resolution—defeated 51–48.
  • Trump shrugs off legal/political criticism:
    “When they're loaded up with drugs, they're fair game. And every one of those ships were...they're not ships, they're boats that were loaded up with drugs.” — Donald Trump (16:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Highlight | |-----------|---------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 06:46 | Ben Ferguson | “Multiple outlets are reporting that a cartel linked tiered bounty system targeting ICE and CBP officials with the amounts reported up to $50,000 for killing of high ranking officials is already in the marketplace.” | | 08:45 | AG Pam Bondi | “The wave of violence against ICE has been driven by online apps and social media campaigns designed to put ICE officers at risk just for doing their jobs.” | | 09:35 | Harris Faulkner (Fox) | “DHS says those cartels are working with gangs and extremist groups to deploy armed spotters to rooftops to track agents' movements...bounties: $2,000 for doxing, $5,000–10,000 to kidnap or hurt, $50,000 to assassinate senior officials.”| | 11:03 | Ben Ferguson | “Democrats continuing to advocate for the assault, the doxxing, the attacking of ICE agents. Now they're literally aligned with the cartels in Mexico.” | | 12:01 | Donald Trump (quoted) | “We are certainly looking at land now because we've got the sea very well under control...I view that as a good thing, not a bad thing.” | | 13:45 | Donald Trump | “I don't want to answer a question like that, that's a ridiculous question for me to be given...but I think Venezuela is feeling heat now.” | | 16:35 | Donald Trump | “When they're loaded up with drugs, they're fair game. And every one of those ships were... they're not ships, they're boats that were loaded up with drugs.” |

Important Timestamps by Topic

• 05:12–07:08: Details of the cartel bounty system, DHS response, and recent arrest
• 07:08–08:55: AG Pam Bondi on social media, Meta/Facebook takedown of ICE targeting group
• 09:30–11:03: Harris Faulkner/Fox News segment—specifics on threats in Chicago, political reactions
• 11:03–13:45: Trump's policy responses, expansion of military and covert actions, legal/political context
• 13:45–16:35: Trump’s statements on Venezuela, legal justifications, Senate reaction

Tone and Final Takeaways

Ben Ferguson's tone is urgent, indignant, and sharply critical of both Mexican cartels and Democrats whom he accuses of abetting attacks on law enforcement.
He repeatedly emphasizes the existential threat to federal agents, the seriousness of the cartel’s warlike tactics, and Trump’s willingness to escalate the U.S. response. The episode imparts a sense of direct conflict and radical policy shift, with Ferguson portraying Trump’s moves as bold and necessary in contrast to previous ineffective efforts.

Summary

This episode explored the dire new reality faced by U.S. immigration officers as drug cartels ramp up targeted, incentivized violence on American soil, often in coordination with domestic gangs. In response, President Trump has signaled the escalation of U.S. force — not just at sea but potentially against cartel assets on land and in countries like Venezuela. Simultaneously, digital spaces once used to organize these attacks are coming under federal scrutiny and takedown. Against this backdrop, the politicization of law enforcement and drug policy in Congress is intensifying, foreshadowing further conflict both at home and abroad.