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In a significant leadership overhaul, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is experiencing major changes amid rising tensions within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding deportation strategies and objectives. This shift, as reported by four senior officials within the department, is reshaping the landscape of ICE leadership across the country.
This transformation is taking place in at least eight ICE field offices, where many senior leaders are being replaced by individuals from the Border Patrol. This marks an unprecedented shift in power dynamics within DHS, highlighting the sharp internal divisions over the extent to which deportations should be increased, according to sources who spoke to Fox News.
The driving forces behind these changes are two competing factions within the DHS. On one side, Border Czar Tom Homan and ICE Director Todd Lyons emphasize targeting criminal aliens and individuals with final deportation orders. Their focus is on prioritizing those considered most critical from a security perspective.
In contrast, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, along with senior adviser Corey Lewandowski and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, advocate for a more extensive and assertive approach. Their strategy involves targeting anyone residing in the U.S. illegally to significantly boost deportation numbers, thus broadening the scope of enforcement actions.
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 US 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?”
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 US illegally is on the table.”
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.”