The Department of Homeland Security has ordered its investigations division of 6,000 agents to shift focus from drug dealers, terrorists, and human traffickers to prioritizing the deportation of people in the U.S. illegally according to USA TODAY. This shift aligns with recent executive orders from President Donald Trump, targeting immigration crackdowns. Former and current officials express concerns that this new focus will undermine critical investigations into transnational threats, such as Mexican drug cartels smuggling lethal substances across the border. Agents fear that this change will lead to a loss of skilled personnel, affecting ongoing investigations and prosecutions. The move has raised concerns about neglecting investigations into child exploitation crimes, cyberattacks, nuclear traffickers, organized crime, and trade fraud. The recent emphasis on immigration enforcement has led to the deployment of federal agents in the search for undocumented individuals, diverting attention from other national security concerns.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents play a key role in various national security investigations, including seizing aircrafts, arrests related to child exploitation, and extraditions of cartel leaders. HSI has long sought independence from ICE, the agency it internally resides within, arguing that its focus on immigration enforcement hindered its ability to investigate a wide range of criminal activities. Efforts to separate HSI from ICE have been ongoing for several years, with agents recently proposed as a standalone agency. However, the new directive from DHS is causing agents to migrate back to focusing on deportations, in line with Trump’s policies outlined in Project 2025. This sudden shift in focus is raising concerns among agents and officials about the impact on ongoing investigations and national security priorities.
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