By Steve Neavling
The Trump administration is working to expand the number of federal law-enforcement officials involved in immigration enforcement by giving agents from various federal agencies the same powers as immigration officers, according to an internal memo obtained by The Wall Street Journal.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamin Huffman issued a directive granting immigration-enforcement authority to several Justice Department agencies, including the U.S. Marshals Service, the DEA, and ATF, the memo reveals.
This move is the latest effort by the Trump administration to leverage the federal government’s extensive resources to fulfill one of the president’s key campaign promises: cracking down on illegal immigration. However, despite the administration’s efforts, there has been no rollout of significant immigration enforcement operations so far.
The memo highlights that FBI agents already hold the authority to make immigration arrests under Title 8. Historically, however, the FBI has avoided direct involvement in immigration enforcement, focusing instead on its primary missions, such as national security and criminal investigations.
While the memo doesn’t formally deputize Justice Department agents to enforce immigration laws, the administration plans to collaborate with the department, potentially lending agents for deportation-related efforts, according to a source familiar with the discussions.
Agencies like the Marshals Service typically engage in immigration matters only when cases overlap with federal fugitives or detention duties. Meanwhile, the ATF and DEA have largely stayed out of immigration enforcement, focusing on gun and drug-trafficking investigations. Officials from these agencies have voiced concerns about being stretched thin, noting that taking on immigration enforcement could detract from their primary missions of combating violent crime and drug trafficking.
At a Justice Department meeting on Tuesday, Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove instructed federal prosecutors to investigate and possibly charge state and local officials in sanctuary cities who obstruct the administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. He also indicated that FBI terrorism task forces would play a role in advancing the president’s immigration agenda.
