The Trump administration is set to shake up Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leadership, aiming to speed up deportations by installing Border Patrol officials in key positions, sources tell outlets including NBC News, ABC News, and CNN. Citing frustration with the current pace of arrests—ICE averages about 1,178 daily, well below the 3,000 target reportedly set by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller—the administration plans to reassign at least a dozen ICE field office directors, with at least half expected to be replaced by Border Patrol personnel.
The move reflects growing White House dissatisfaction with ICE and a preference for the Border Patrol's more aggressive tactics. It was Border Patrol agents, not ICE, who rappelled from helicopters into a Chicago apartment building; they've also jumped out of rental trucks in Home Depot parking lots and deployed tear gas during arrests. Such tactics have drawn lawsuits and public backlash, but the administration appears undeterred. ICE and Border Patrol (technically Customs and Border Protection, or CBP) both fall under the Department of Homeland Security, but fulfill different functions.
The list of ICE officials slated for reassignment was reportedly compiled by Corey Lewandowski, a Trump ally now working at DHS, and Greg Bovino, a Border Patrol sector chief who has become a central figure in recent operations. Bovino, who does not report through the usual Border Patrol chain of command, is said to answer directly to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who has dubbed him "Border Patrol Commander at Large." He's due in court Tuesday to answer for enforcement actions in the Chicago area, the AP reports. Some ICE leaders have privately expressed concern about the escalating tactics, while others note that ICE lacks the resources—like Black Hawk helicopters—at Border Patrol's disposal.
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