Trump Admin Weighs Replacing ICE Leaders With Border Patrol to Turbo Charge Deportations: Report

The Trump administration is considering reassigning senior leaders at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and replacing as many as a dozen field office directors with officials from Customs and Border Protection, sources told CBS News.

The move is aimed at increasing arrests after the White House set a goal of 3,000 daily detentions, a target ICE has not consistently met.

The measure would affect roughly half of ICE's 25 field offices, as CBS News reports. Some ICE officials have reportedly already been notified of reassignment plans; other sources said the reassignments are intended to provide additional operational support rather than demotions.

ICE has carried out hundreds of thousands of arrests since President Trump took office, with internal agency data cited by CBS News showing more than 260,000 arrests under the current administration. The Department of Homeland Security released a statement on Monday asserting the administration has removed more than 527,000 people and is "on pace to shatter historic records," according to Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

The proposal follows an expanded role for Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection inside the U.S. More than 1,500 Border Patrol agents are assisting ICE in interior enforcement, and officials such as Commander Gregory Bovino have led operations in U.S. cities. Supporters inside the administration argue Border Patrol leaders are better suited to reach aggressive arrest targets; critics warn the two agencies have different missions and that Border Patrol tactics have provoked local backlash.

Operations by green-uniformed Border Patrol agents in cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles — including arrests at worksites and parking lots — have drawn complaints from local officials and civil-rights advocates. One U.S. official quoted in reporting contrasted ICE's stated focus on criminal aliens with Border Patrol activity "going to Home Depots and car washes."

Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to CBS News that "while we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country." White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson added:

"The President's entire team is working in lockstep to implement the President's policy agenda, and the tremendous results from securing the border to deporting criminal illegal aliens speak for themselves"

Any leadership overhaul would mark a significant management shift at ICE, an agency that has typically promoted from within and has not had a Senate-confirmed director since early 2017.