WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is reassigning at least half of the top leadership at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices across the country in a major shake-up of the agency responsible for carrying out the president’s vision for mass deportations, according to one current and one former U.S. government official.

The current official, who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity, said 12 ICE field office directors—the officers who run the network of field offices responsible for immigration enforcement—are being reassigned. Half of these positions will be filled by existing or retired Customs and Border Protection (CBP) staff, while the other half will be replaced by ICE officers, both officials said.

The changes were initiated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the current official added, without specifying which cities were impacted. The former official, who has direct knowledge of the reassignments and also spoke anonymously to share information not intended for public release, said that beyond these 12, leaders in another four cities are being replaced through retirements or other circumstances.

He identified some of the affected cities as major immigration enforcement targets such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. According to the official, ICE leadership has been discussing these changes with other Trump administration officials for some time as part of a broad review of the agency.

The reason for the personnel shifts isn’t immediately clear, but they indicate a greater integration of Border Patrol agents into ICE at a time when Customs and Border Protection has faced accusations of using heavy-handed tactics in immigration enforcement.

### A Major Shakeup in Trump’s Immigration Enforcement Leadership

With a total of 25 field offices nationwide, reassigning leadership in at least half of them represents a significant turnover among the top staffers executing the president’s hardline immigration enforcement plans. These plans have included major deployments of law enforcement in cities, thousands of arrests, and heightened fears among residents, especially within immigrant communities.

Both Homeland Security and the White House declined to comment directly on the reassignments. Instead, they emphasized that all elements of immigration enforcement are working together as one team.

### Expanding Roles for Customs and Border Protection Officers

Elevating Customs and Border Protection officers to leadership roles within ICE would expand the involvement of an agency already central to many aggressive immigration tactics in cities like Los Angeles and Chicago.

Border Patrol agents, a subgroup of CBP, have conducted some of the most controversial operations as part of immigration crackdowns. For instance, a recent raid in Chicago included officers rappelling from a helicopter onto an apartment complex. In other operations, Border Patrol agents have emerged from moving vehicles to pursue individuals and have patrolled downtown areas on foot.

Traditionally, Border Patrol agents protect land and waterways between official border crossings to prevent human trafficking, drug smuggling, and other illicit activity. ICE, created in 2003, is the principal agency responsible for immigration enforcement inside the United States.

However, under the Trump administration, Border Patrol agents have increasingly participated in immigration enforcement operations far beyond their traditional duties.

### Controversies and Lawsuits

Gregory Bovino, the Border Patrol sector chief from California overseeing operations in Los Angeles and Chicago, has been accused of throwing tear gas canisters at protesters. He recently testified as a defendant in a federal lawsuit alleging excessive force by federal officials in Chicago.

ICE states that its agents conduct “targeted enforcement operations,” involving hours-long surveillance to locate individuals slated for deportation.

### Continued Leadership Changes at ICE

This marks the third significant reshuffle at ICE since Trump took office, underscoring the agency’s critical role in enforcing the president’s immigration policies.

In February, DHS reassigned Caleb Vitello, then acting director of ICE, to another position. Todd Lyons, a veteran ICE agent, was later named acting head of the agency—a role he still holds.

Then in May, ICE announced the reassignment of the top officials leading its principal branches.

### Official Statements

Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for Homeland Security, did not comment directly on the recent personnel changes but said in a statement that the department remains “laser focused on RESULTS and we will deliver.”

“This is one team, one fight,” she added. “President Donald Trump has a brilliant, tenacious team led by Secretary Kristi Noem to deliver on the American people’s mandate to remove criminal illegal aliens from this country.”

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson, in an emailed statement, echoed this sentiment: “The President’s entire team is working in lockstep to implement the President’s policy agenda, and the tremendous results from securing the border to deporting criminal illegal aliens speak for themselves.”

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© Associated Press 2024
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