The Trump administration is implementing a significant leadership overhaul at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, as revealed by sources familiar with the situation in a recent report by CBS News. The planned changes include the reassignment of senior leaders across various ICE offices nationwide, reflecting growing frustrations regarding current arrest and deportation levels. According to a U.S. official who requested anonymity, approximately a dozen local ICE leaders may be reassigned, with some replacements coming from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a sister agency within the Department of Homeland Security.
The shake-up at ICE represents a major leadership transformation, impacting nearly half of the agency’s 25 field offices. However, it is important to note that most field office directors will not face demotions or termination. Instead, these changes aim to provide additional support to specific ICE offices. As part of this transition, some ICE officials have already been notified of their upcoming reassignments, as reported by the anonymous source.
The Trump administration has increasingly relied on CBP and Border Patrol officials, such as Commander Gregory Bovino, to intensify its crackdown on illegal immigration. This strategy includes deploying Border Patrol agents to apprehend unauthorized immigrants in cities far from the U.S.-Mexico border, including Democratic-led cities like Chicago and Los Angeles. Such operations have resulted in arrests in locations like Home Depot parking lots and car washes, leading to significant local backlash. Critics argue that these actions are heavy-handed, targeting immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally but do not have criminal records.
In response to the ongoing situation, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin stated, “While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser-focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country.” Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman, emphasized that the President's team is united in implementing the administration’s policy agenda, asserting that the results regarding border security and the deportation of criminal illegal aliens are evident.
Internally, some ICE leaders have expressed frustration with the operations led by Border Patrol in urban settings and the backlash these efforts have generated from local communities. Although the Trump administration has made it clear that anyone in the U.S. illegally is subject to arrest by federal officials, ICE maintains that its operations primarily focus on immigrants who have committed additional crimes. “We’re arresting criminals, while they are going to Home Depots and car washes,” remarked one U.S. official regarding the actions of Border Patrol agents.
Despite the emphasis on aggressive enforcement, some within the Trump administration believe that Border Patrol officials are better equipped to execute the expansive operations necessary to achieve the ambitious arrest targets set by the White House. In a spring appearance on Fox News, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, known for his role in formulating President Trump’s mass deportation plans, suggested that ICE should conduct a minimum of 3,000 arrests per day. However, ICE has not consistently met this target, generally averaging over 1,000 arrests per day, with a peak of over 2,000 on certain occasions. As of this week, ICE has carried out over 260,000 arrests under the second Trump administration, averaging about 900 arrests daily, based on internal data obtained by CBS News.
In less than a year, the Trump administration has reshuffled ICE’s leadership multiple times. Caleb Vitello, the first official appointed to lead ICE during the second Trump administration, was reassigned in February and succeeded by Todd Lyons, a longtime agency veteran who currently serves as the acting director. Additionally, previous heads of ICE’s deportation unit, Enforcement and Removal Operations, and its investigative branch, Homeland Security Investigations, have also been replaced in recent months. Notably, ICE has not had a Senate-confirmed director since the early days of the Obama administration in 2017.
