The White House is shaking up immigration enforcement, with sources saying ICE isn’t making enough arrests to satisfy the administration. NBC and CBS News report that the Trump administration plans to replace some regional ICE directors with Border Patrol officials.
The move comes as part of a push to increase migrant arrests and deportations.
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Reports say that at least a dozen ICE leaders are expected to be reassigned in the coming days.
ICE has 25 field offices nationwide, so replacing a dozen leaders could account for nearly half the agency’s leadership.
It’s unclear who, specifically, the administration will replace. However, officials told NBC they expect it to be directors in underperforming regions or those who have pushed back against some of the more aggressive tactics.
Reason for the change
Officials say some of Trump’s top advisers favor Border Patrol’s more aggressive tactics, including rappelling into apartment buildings from Black Hawk helicopters and jumping out of rental trucks during parking lot stings.
Two former ICE officials told NBC that ICE does not own some of the resources that Border Patrol has, such as the Black Hawks.
ICE has faced heavy criticism for its raids, but its strategy has largely focused on targeted arrest. It’s a much more restrained approach than Border Patrol is known for.
As of late September, ICE was arresting an average of 1,178 people per day, according to NBC News. That number is well short of the 3,000 per day that White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller has demanded.
