DHS Reassigns Thousands of Agents to Deportations: What This Means for My Practice
After over two decades practicing immigration law in my 33 years of legal practice, I’ve weathered plenty of enforcement shifts. But what’s happening at DHS right now is unprecedented—and it’s already changing how I represent clients. A recent New York Times investigation revealed the scale of this transformation, and I need to share what it means for those of us in the trenches.
The policy shift
From day one of Trump’s second term, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller began daily ICE conference calls, pushing aggressive arrest quotas. By May, Secretary Kristi Noem warned officials “no jobs would be safe” without surging deportation numbers.
Congress responded with $162 billion for border security and enforcement—pushing immigration to over 50% of DHS’s budget (up from 37%). ICE’s budget nearly tripled, adding 14,000+ employees. But to move fast, DHS pulled thousands of agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)—the unit handling child exploitation, human trafficking, and terrorism—and borrowed personnel from FBI, DEA, ATF, and other agencies.
These highly trained investigators are now compiling address lists, making arrests, driving detainees, and staffing deportation flights. Even Coast Guard search-and-rescue planes were reassigned to migrant transport.
The numbers and trade-offs
The results are stark: Over 550,000 deportations so far, border crossings at historic lows, and detention centers holding 60,000+ people—the highest ever.
But federal data shows fewer than 40% of those arrested have criminal convictions. Just 8% involve violent crimes.
The collateral damage concerns me more:
- HSI logged 33% fewer hours on child exploitation cases (Feb–April)
- Investigations into terrorism funding are stalling
- Tech companies report less federal follow-up on flagged exploitation material
- DHS training programs suspended until December 2025
As computer scientist Hany Farid put it: “You can’t say you care about kids when you’re diverting actual resources that are protecting children.”
What I’m seeing in my immigration law practice
This isn’t theoretical anymore:
Detention chaos: Facilities over capacity, no bond hearings allowed, habeas corpus cases getting filed.
Accelerated removals: ICE executes final orders in days, not weeks. Long-term residents with pending applications are suddenly priority targets.
Courthouse arrests: I’m warning every client—don’t go to court without counsel. Enforcement has expanded nationwide.
Humanitarian cases squeezed: With enforcement focused on volume, I never know where an arrest might occur. I’m front-loading evidence into applications more than ever.
The administration insists they’re successfully combating crime. But I’m hearing the reality from prosecutors, DHS insiders, and my detained clients. This isn’t just about numbers—it’s about abandoning critical law enforcement missions for deportation numbers.
And right now, all immigrants are bearing the cost. Abused and exploited children are bearing the cost. Public safety is bearing the cost.
If you know someone who is detained, then contact my office at (405) 616-5999 for help. For more information about obtaining release of detained immigrants, please see my page on Habeas Corpus.