FBI leadership has directed field offices nationwide to begin reassigning agents to support immigration enforcement efforts in coordination with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to a series of memos issued this week.
The memos indicate a strategic shift within the bureau, with leadership moving to deprioritize white-collar and corporate crime investigations. According to the documents, the FBI aims to allocate 45 percent of its agents to full-time immigration-related duties, with a target of deploying up to 2,000 agents to assist in enforcement operations, NBC News reported.
“As you know, we have been actively engaged in immigration enforcement efforts in coordination with our DOJ and DHS partners,” one such memo said. “Starting this week, we will need to see an increase in operational tempo in your immigration efforts. DOJ expects a significant increase in the number of agents participating in immigration enforcement operations.”
“The FBI has been committed to supporting our partners in immigration enforcement and will remain so,” said FBI spokesman Ben Williamson.
Other federal law enforcement agencies have also been instructed to assist with immigration enforcement, per instructions from the Trump administration, Breitbart News noted.
In February, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced plans to enlist the help of the IRS in immigration enforcement efforts. Earlier this month, a judge ruled that the Trump administration is permitted to direct the IRS to use tax data to help locate undocumented immigrants.
Other federal agencies currently assisting ICE in immigration enforcement include U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of State (DOS), and the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Federal immigration enforcement efforts are also being bolstered by hundreds of state and local law enforcement agencies through the long-standing 287(g) program, which authorizes local authorities to assist in enforcing federal immigration laws.
To date, more than 450 state and local agencies have signed onto the program and are actively working in coordination with ICE across the country.
As enforcement operations continue, border czar Tom Homan said that agents in the field are making horrendous discoveries stemming from President Joe Biden’s ‘open border’ policies, which some within the current administration have suggested were criminal breaches of U.S. sovereignty and national security.
At a Friday evening event in Washington, D.C., he shared the story of ICE recently rescuing a pregnant 14-year-old girl who had been trafficked.
“We just found one two days ago. A 14-year-old little girl. Living with two adult males. Who trafficked her,” he told the Republican National Lawyers Conference annual meeting.
“We found her, she’s pregnant. From trafficking being forced into prostitution. 14 years old. We are taking care of her. Both physically and mentally,” Homan said.
“Despite what the media says, we are not heartless. We care about these kids. I am a father,” he said.
“That s**t (human trafficking) is happening every day. We are going to put an end to it. Everything we can do,” he said.
WATCH:
Since President Donald Trump made his return to the White House, the change in illegal immigrant encounters at the border has been dramatic.
A report from the Department of Homeland Security showed a 93 percent drop in daily encounters, 95 percent fewer “gotaways,” which are those who managed to sneak in undetected, and an eye-popping 99.99% decrease in illegal migrant crossings.
In April, during an early morning White House press briefing, Homan said that he believes there are at least 20 million illegal aliens in the country, including about 700,000 with criminal charges “walking the streets.”