WSJ: Trump Expanding Force to Assist in Immigration Efforts

The Trump administration reportedly is granting immigration-enforcement authority to law enforcement officials across the federal government.

The intention is to build a larger enforcement force as President Donald Trump moves to enhance national security by implementing a mass deportation of illegal migrants.

Acting Department of Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman sent an internal memo, seen by The Wall Street Journal, that said DHS is granting immigration-enforcement authority to several agencies at the Justice Department, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.

FBI agents already possess immigration-arresting powers, though traditionally, they have steered clear of such work unless it's connected to other investigations. A source told the Journal that the administration expects the DOJ to lend some agents for enforcing immigration laws.

Although the Marshals Service may become involved in immigration-related cases if they overlap with their primary responsibilities, the ATF and DEA generally have not been involved in immigration enforcement, the Journal reported.

The latest directive follows two by Huffman on Tuesday, when the acting director rescinded the Biden administration's guidelines for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection enforcement actions that thwart law enforcement in or near so-called "sensitive" areas and ended the broad abuse of humanitarian parole, returning the program to a case-by-case basis.

Shortly after being sworn in on Monday, Trump signed nearly a dozen executive orders designed to overhaul U.S. border and immigration policy. Among the orders, he designated international cartels as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and restored the "Remain in Mexico" policy.

CNN reported Wednesday that the Pentagon is ordering roughly 1,500 more active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, adding to the roughly 2,200 active-duty forces already there to support the U.S. Northern Command's border mission out of El Paso, Texas.

A Justice Department memo on Tuesday told U.S. attorneys around the country to investigate law enforcement officials who decline to enforce immigration policies, The New York Times reported.

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