Senate Democrats Say Bondi, Patel Redirected 9,000 FBI Workers to Trump Immigration Push

Senate Judiciary Democrats accused Former Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel of redirecting more than 9,000 FBI agents and staffers toward President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, escalating Democratic criticism that the administration has turned the nation's premier law enforcement agency into an arm of mass deportation policy.

The committee Democrats said Monday that Bondi and Patel had moved "9,000 FBI agents and staff" to immigration-related work.

The figure tracks with reporting from The Intercept that found 9,161 FBI personnel, nearly a quarter of the bureau's 38,000 workers, handled immigration matters during Trump's first nine months back in office. Before Trump took office in January 2025, 279 agents were assigned to immigration cases. By September, the number had risen above 6,500 agents, according to that reporting.

The allegation adds to months of warnings from Democrats and former law enforcement officials that the FBI's shift toward immigration enforcement could weaken work on terrorism, counterintelligence, cybercrime, drug trafficking, child exploitation and public corruption.

The Washington Post reported in October 2025 that nearly a quarter of the FBI's roughly 13,000 agents had been assigned to immigration enforcement, with the share climbing above 40% in some large field offices, according to FBI data obtained by Sen. Mark Warner.

The FBI traditionally supports immigration cases when they overlap with criminal investigations, but immigration enforcement is principally handled by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and border agencies. Under Patel, that line has shifted. The Associated Press reported that the bureau elevated violent crime, illegal immigration and drug trafficking under a new priority structure aligned with Trump's law enforcement agenda. The FBI has said it continues to address terrorism and other national security threats, while Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino have described the changes as a return to the bureau's "roots."

The administration has defended the approach as necessary for public safety.

In September testimony posted by the FBI, Patel said FBI-led task forces included more than 9,000 federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial partners and said the bureau had made more than 25,000 immigration-related arrests since Jan. 20, 2025. He also cited arrests of Tren de Aragua and MS-13 members, along with major drug seizures.

Democrats argue the same numbers show a dangerous diversion of resources. Former FBI officials have echoed that concern. Chris O'Leary, a former FBI senior executive and special agent, told The Washington Post, "We are weakening ourselves day by day," adding that using FBI agents for immigration arrests was "a misuse of exquisite ability."

The fight comes as Trump's immigration agenda has expanded far beyond the border. The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that ICE budget documents call for removing 1 million people this fiscal year and the next, compared with about 442,000 last year. Congress also granted the Department of Homeland Security more than $170 billion for Trump's immigration agenda, and the administration is seeking detention space for roughly 100,000 people this fiscal year.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told the Times there had been "no change" in Trump's strategy, saying, "President Trump's highest priority has always been the deportation of illegal alien criminals who endanger American communities."
For Senate Judiciary Democrats, the latest staffing figure is now the hook for a broader argument: that Bondi and Patel are not merely changing FBI priorities, but reshaping the bureau around Trump's deportation program. The administration's counterargument is just as clear: immigration enforcement, gang arrests and cartel cases are now central to its definition of national security.