Thousands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials relegated to desk work processing illegal immigrants during the Biden-Harris administration will be moved to the field to fulfill vows made by President-elect Donald Trump and his border czar Tom Homan to flood sanctuary cities with agents.
It is unknown how many law enforcement personnel will be reassigned from desk duty, but the New York Post reported Thursday that sources from a West Coast field office and an East Coast field office said an estimated 60% to 70% of their officers are stuck behind desks.
ICE sources told the Post that rank-and-file members are excited to be "catching criminals that [President Joe] Biden let roam freely in the country for the last four years without any consequences."
One source told the Post they "can't wait" to get back onto the streets while another said although he hasn't had any experience making arrests for ICE, his years of previous experience with Customs and Border Patrol will make it an easy task.
In a recent interview with the Post, Homan put sanctuary cities on notice, warning them to cooperate with federal officials.
"If they're not willing to do it then get out of the way — we're coming," Homan said, adding that enforcing tougher immigration laws will require a lot of manpower, "so if I have to flood agents to the sanctuary cities to get the job done, then that's what we're gonna do."
ICE has a total workforce of about 21,000, which includes non-law enforcement personnel who handle administrative work, the Post reported, citing a Department of Homeland Security budget overview.
Some ICE officials are worried the agency doesn't have the resources even with the reassignments.
"The personnel have to be there to carry out these mass deportations," an ICE source told the Post. "Right now, a lot of units have been depleted."
"If the fugitive operations street team isn't making enough arrests, they'll crack down on them first," the source added, referring to the agency's program that assists field offices in locating and arresting migrants who represent a threat to national security or public safety. "And if that's still not enough, then they'll probably be mandated to add more officers to the arrest team to make more arrests."
There are dozens of vacant positions in each ICE office that need funding to fill them, the Post reported.
"They really defunded us without really saying it," a source told the Post, referring to the Biden-Harris administration.
Homan, who served in the last Trump administration as acting ICE director, said that in his first week on the job, he plans to visit the southern and northern borders and meet with Border Patrol and ICE personnel to get a sense of their greatest needs.
He also indicated he would prioritize making arrests of illegal immigrants who pose threats to national security and public safety, and bring back worksite raids, which the Biden-Harris administration halted in October 2021.