Trump plans to install Border Patrol agents instead of ICE to speed up deportations
Border Patrol has been behind some of the most shocking images of immigration arrests since Trump took office
In that environment, the Trump administration is planning to replace some regional Immigration and Customs Enforcement leaders with Border Patrol officials in an attempt to ramp up its mass deportation effort and diffuse frustration with the pace of daily arrests, according to two Department of Homeland Security officials.
To better understand this plan, it's important to note that the key difference between the two agencies is jurisdiction. CBP (Customs and Border Protection) operates at the nation's ports of entry and borders, while ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) handles law enforcement and detention/deportation within the country, so these modifications would entail new ways of operating.
However, organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the United Farm Workers (UFW) have sued the Border Patrol and other federal agencies over their operations.
Among the lawsuits filed, the accusation of the use of "illegal practices" stands out when detaining and deporting dozens of immigrants without legal authorization.
In a recent development, lawyers litigating a federal lawsuit accused Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino ofof violating a temporary restraining order by personally deploying tear gas at protesters.
This comes after federal Judge Sarah Ellis had limited the use of chemical agents in interactions with the media and protesters, opening the possibility of legal sanctions against Bovino and the operation.
Despite this, the White House may have approved a list of at least a dozen ICE field officer directors who will be reassigned in the coming days, who could be replaced by Border Patrol officers.
ICE has 25 field offices across the country, so this move could replace nearly half of the agency's leadership.
The New York Times was the first to report that the Trump administration was planning a shakeup of ICE leadership amid frustration over arrest numbers, citing three people familiar with the plans.
At the end of September, the latest period for which data is available because of the shutdown of the government, ICE was arresting 1,178 people on average per day, well below the 3,000 per day that the chief architect of Trump's deportation policy, White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, has demanded.