The Trump administration is making big moves to ramp up immigration enforcement — and they’re getting some unexpected help to do it. With pressure mounting to speed up arrests and deportations, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is calling in reinforcements from other federal agencies. Think IRS agents, U.S. Marshals, and even the Bureau of Prisons — groups that don’t normally handle immigration.
This kind of teamwork between law enforcement agencies isn’t totally unheard of. For example, IRS or Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents might pitch in on investigations involving fraud or drug trafficking. But what’s different here is the scale. DHS is tapping these agencies not just for specific investigations but as a broader effort to expand Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s reach.
Why the urgency? ICE has been feeling the heat. With around 20,800 employees, it’s smaller compared to other immigration-related agencies and hasn’t grown much in years. Now, the White House wants ICE’s 20 field offices to hit a target of at least 75 arrests a day — and they’re pushing for even more.
In an effort to meet these goals, the Trump administration has handed new authority to agencies like the U.S. Marshals, DEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). These groups are now tasked with investigating and arresting people suspected of being in the U.S. without legal status — something that wasn’t part of their usual job description.
The IRS is getting involved, too. DHS has asked the Treasury Department to send qualified officials from the IRS’s criminal investigations unit to help out. These agents will assist with everything from investigating human smuggling to managing detention and overseeing the transportation of detainees.
The State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service is also jumping in, with up to 600 special agents deputized to assist ICE. And even USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) employees who normally investigate immigration-related fraud are being considered for short-term assignments with ICE.
But not everyone’s on board with this new approach. Some federal employees and Democratic lawmakers have pushed back, arguing that these workers aren’t trained for this type of job. Employees from the Bureau of Prisons, for example, have voiced concerns about being assigned to house and manage immigration detainees without proper preparation.
There’s also the question of resources. ICE’s staffing shortages have been a problem for years, and the administration’s solution so far has been borrowing workers from other agencies. But many officials are saying that what ICE really needs is more funding. The administration has requested an extra $175 billion over four years for immigration enforcement, but Congress has yet to agree on the budget.
As the debate over funding continues, one thing’s clear: the push for faster and more widespread immigration enforcement isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
