ICE Officers No Longer Required to Seek Approval Before Arrests as Immigration Sweeps Expand Nationwide: Report

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are no longer required to obtain prior approval before making arrests, ending a policy in place for more than 15 years, according to an NBC News report citing six current and former officials from ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Previously, officers in ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations division had to complete a "field operations worksheet" containing details about a target's identity, addresses, employment history, immigration status, and any criminal record, which then required supervisory authorization.

The requirement was lifted earlier this year, according to the sources consulted, as part of a broader shift under the Trump administration from targeted enforcement toward large-scale sweeps.

Darius Reeves, former director of ICE's Baltimore field office, said the worksheets served as both a planning tool and legal safeguard for officers. "It was bypassed so they could keep constantly flooding the streets," Reeves told NBC News, adding that some officers continue using the forms voluntarily out of concern for legal liability.

The policy change comes as ICE expands enforcement operations nationwide, including upcoming crackdowns in Chicago and Boston, and follows recent sweeps in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

Advocates and social media users have accused officers of racial profiling during these operations, claims ICE and DHS deny. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said ICE actions are based on "investigative work and casework," while Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons described the approach as "targeted enforcement."

The policy shift is part of larger efforts by the administration to ramp up its immigration crackdown. On Monday, a 6–3 Supreme Court decision lifted restrictions on "roving" immigration raids in Los Angeles. A federal judge had previously barred ICE from detaining individuals based solely on factors like speaking Spanish, being near day labor sites, or working in construction.

The agency has also reportedly cut training time for new recruits as a means to expand its workforce and accelerate the crackwodn even more. According to Lyons, ICE has has received over 120,000 applications and plans to hire 10,000 additional deportation officers by the end of the year, more than doubling the current force of 6,500.