In a move that could supercharge the government’s deportation forces, the Trump administration late Thursday deputized thousands more federal law enforcement officers to arrest immigrants in the country illegally.
Two agencies typically enforce the nation’s complex Title 8 immigration laws: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, in the country’s interior, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the nation’s borders.
On Thursday, Department of Homeland Security Acting Secretary Benjamine Huffman expanded the universe of federal law enforcement officers who can investigate and apprehend immigrants. It wasn’t immediately clear how many officers would be reassigned to immigration enforcement.
“Mobilizing these law enforcement officials will help fulfill President Trump’s promise to the American people to carry out mass deportations,” Huffman said in a statement. “For decades, efforts to find and apprehend illegal aliens have not been given proper resources. This is a major step in fixing that problem.”
Huffman authorized Department of Justice law enforcement officials, including the U.S. Marshals, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons to do immigration enforcement.
Former Homeland Security agents said deputizing officers from other agencies could increase the ability to deport people here illegally. But they also raised concerns about inter-agency competition and the potential for widespread civil rights abuses, given the complexities of immigration law.
“They’re using it as a force multiplier,” said Carlos Archuleta, who served more than three decades in ICE and retired as country attaché to Mexico for Homeland Security Investigations.
More:Trump wants to deport immigrants with criminal records. They’re hard to track down.
Inter-agency competition is “definitely a concern,” he said. “So is exposure to civil rights violations, if you’re not familiar with the law.”
Roughly 6,000 ICE deportation agents manage a massive docket of more than 7.6 million immigrants in the country without legal status. Under the Biden administration, ICE was directed to focus on arresting those who represented public safety and national security threats.
This week, President Donald Trump and Congress – under the new Laken Riley Act – shifted the priority for immigration enforcement to more people in the country illegally, including those without serious criminal offense, mandating detention for people accused, charged with or convicted of low-level crimes.
The expanded authorities mean thousands of Justice Department officials and agents could feasibly participate in Trump’s plans to deport millions of immigrants in the country illegally. The ATF had about 2,500 special agents in 2022, while DEA reported 4,600 special agents on staff in 2021. There were more than 3,600 U.S. Marshals and deputy U.S. Marshals in 2020.
It wasn’t immediately clear how many DOJ law enforcement officers would be redirected to immigration enforcement.
“Those organizations don’t normally fulfill that role,” said Pete Hermansen, a retired Border Patrol agent and sector chief of more than two decades.
Those agencies have their own missions, including fighting drugs and weapons trafficking and protecting federal judges and judicial facilities.
Hermansen said there is clear crossover for DEA and ATF, whose investigations into drugs and weapons trafficking often lead them to criminal organizations also involved in migrant smuggling and immigration violations.
Hermansen couldn’t recall a time when this sort of deputizing had occurred, outside of specific task forces.
“It’s not standard operating procedure,” he said.
President Trump announced today that he has deputized US Marshals, DEA agents, and other law enforcement agencies to target immigrants in a new crackdown on illegal immigration. This controversial move has sparked outrage among immigrant rights activists and civil liberties groups, who fear that it will lead to increased racial profiling and discrimination.
The President defended his decision, stating that it is necessary to protect the country from criminals and terrorists who enter illegally. He emphasized that the deputized agents will be focusing on those who have committed serious crimes and pose a threat to national security.
Critics argue that this move is a blatant attempt to demonize immigrants and stoke fear in immigrant communities. They warn that it will only serve to further divide the country and undermine the values of equality and justice.
As the debate over immigration continues to heat up, it remains to be seen how this new enforcement strategy will impact immigrant communities and the broader political landscape.
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