WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is undertaking a sweeping leadership shake-up at the nation’s principal interior immigration-enforcement agency, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). According to multiple senior DHS officials, as many as twelve of ICE’s 25 field-office directors are being reassigned — many replaced by senior agents from the sister agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The move reflects mounting frustration within the Trump administration over ICE’s inability to meet its aggressive arrest target of roughly 3,000 undocumented immigrants per day. Internal figures show the agency is averaging around 1,100 arrests daily, far below the benchmark set earlier this year.
Officials framed the shake-up as a performance-based adjustment rather than a purge, with many affected directors shifted laterally. One DHS source described the internal environment as “tense” and “combative,” amid competing visions: one camp favouring focused arrests of criminal aliens, the other pushing for broader enforcement. 1
The jurisdictions expected to see the greatest turnover include major cities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego, Philadelphia and Denver. Some of the incoming replacements are drawn from CBP leadership, signalling a melding of missions as ICE’s role is reframed.
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin, while not confirming specific personnel moves, underscored the department’s commitment to “removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country.” The shake-up marks one of the most significant internal reshuffles at ICE in a decade.
Sources
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