A significant leadership overhaul is in progress at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) amid escalating tensions within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over deportation strategies and priorities. This move reflects internal discord, as reported by four senior DHS officials.

The shakeup impacts ICE field offices in at least eight major cities, where numerous senior leaders will be replaced by Border Patrol officials. This unprecedented shift in power within DHS highlights the ongoing debate over the extent to which deportations should be intensified, according to sources from Fox News.

Two rival factions within DHS are driving these changes. On one side are Border Czar Tom Homan and ICE Director Todd Lyons, who are pushing for a focus on deporting criminal aliens and individuals with final deportation orders.

During a recent press conference, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appeared alongside Border Czar Tom Homan. The conference addressed the shooting of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer in Manhattan, New York, on Monday, July 21, 2025. This event underscores the heightened attention on border security and the associated leadership shifts within ICE.

Kristi Noem, U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretary, and “Border Czar” Tom Homan are pictured during a press conference Monday, July 21, 2025, regarding a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer who was shot in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams/Getty Images)

On the other side are DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, senior adviser Corey Lewandowski and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, who have pushed for a broader and more aggressive approach, targeting anyone in the U.S. illegally to boost deportation numbers.

Two senior officials described the mood inside DHS as “tense” and “combative,” with some ICE leaders warning the new approach could erode public support and blur the line between ICE and Border Patrol operations.

“ICE started off with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol came to LA in June, we’ve lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization,” one senior DHS official told Fox. “It’s getting numbers, but at what cost?”

A demonstrator wearing an inflatable Capybara costume stands outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in south Portland. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)

Another senior official put it bluntly, “ICE is arresting criminal aliens. They [Border Patrol] are hitting Home Depots and car washes.”

Border Patrol agents have defended the new strategy.

“What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst?” one agent told Fox News. “Tom Homan has said it himself — anyone in the U.S. illegally is on the table.”

USBP Chief Patrol Agent of the El Centro sector, Greg Bovino, speaks with federal agents in the Cicero neighborhood during an immigration raid in Chicago. (Jim Vondruska/Reuters)

The internal friction comes as deportation totals remain below targets set by the administration earlier this year. Officials told Fox News that the latest round of reassignments impacts ICE field chiefs in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Portland, Philadelphia, El Paso and New Orleans — positions expected to be filled by Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.

A separate DHS official confirmed the personnel changes, describing them as “performance-based” and designed “to move people around for the best results.”

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement: “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.”