The Trump administration reportedly has directed more federal agents from various departments to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement in arresting illegal immigrants.
ICE activity has surged under President Donald Trump, whose administration has set a daily target of 3,000 arrests.
To assist with operations, police from the Justice Department's U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Bureau of Prisons, and the Department of Homeland Security's Border Patrol, and Homeland Security Investigations have been directed to help ICE arrest illegal migrants, the Washington Examiner reported Wednesday.
The reassigned officials have not been informed how long they will be assisting ICE.
In March, Reuters reported thousands of federal law enforcement officials from multiple agencies were being enlisted to take on new work as immigration enforcers.
This account of Trump's push to reorganize federal law enforcement was based on interviews with more than 20 current and former federal agents, attorneys, and other federal officials, the wire service reported.
The Examiner's report comes as Congress tries to send a tax cut and spending megabill to Trump's desk. The legislation includes billions more for border security and hiring to carry out the mass deportation operation.
"The big, beautiful bill will allow ICE to hire 10,000 new officers. ICE currently has 20,000 law enforcement and support personnel in more than 400 offices. A larger force will provide ICE agents with the necessary protection, so they can continue to carry out removals," DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told the Examiner.
Several days after taking office in January, Trump gave members of the U.S. Marshals, Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons authority to apprehend aliens.
"Mobilizing these law enforcement officials will help fulfill President Trump's promise to the American people to carry out mass deportations. For decades, efforts to find and apprehend illegal aliens have not been given proper resources. This is a major step in fixing that problem," then-acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman said in a statement.
A White House spokesperson said agencies should view assisting ICE as helping the government in its overall mission of national security.
"Immigration security IS national security," Abigail Jackson said, the Examiner reported. "Enforcing our immigration laws and removing illegal aliens is one big way President Trump is making America safe again."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.