DHS Expands Immigration Enforcement to Include US Marshals, DEA, ATF

Customs and Border Protection agents check pedestrians as they exit Mexico into the customs area of the United States on the east side of the San Ysidro port of entry in Tijuana, Mexico, on Nov. 19, 2018. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Benjamine Huffman issued a directive on Thursday authorizing more federal law enforcement officers to locate and arrest illegal immigrants in the United States.

The mandate grants authority to Department of Justice (DOJ) law enforcement officials in the U.S. Marshals, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to investigate and apprehend illegal immigrants.

In a statement, Huffman said doing so was essential to fulfilling President Donald Trump’s promise to carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants.

Typically, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are responsible for enforcing the country’s immigration laws. It was not immediately clear how many officers would be affected or redirected under the newly expanded immigration enforcement powers. The DEA, ATF, and BOP collectively employ thousands of Americans.

“Thanks to the last Administration’s open border policies, we’ve seen violent criminals and gang members terrorize American communities,” Huffman said. “Today’s action empowers law enforcement officials at the DOJ to help identify and apprehend aliens who have illegally come into our country ... For decades, efforts to find and apprehend illegal aliens have not been given proper resources. This is a major step in fixing that problem.”

Huffman’s directive follows Trump’s declaration of a national emergency at the U.S. southern border, which paved the way for the deployment of troops there and allowed him to redirect funds to address the ongoing border crisis.

Trump has also deactivated the CBP One phone app used by migrants outside the United States to schedule appointments with federal border agents at U.S. ports of entry.

The app has allowed nearly 1 million people to make appointments to enter the country since January 2023.

Trump has also signed a series of executive actions as part of actions to tackle illegal immigration, including one directing border wall construction to restart, and another seeking to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to parents who are not lawfully present.

On Thursday, a judge temporarily blocked the executive order ending birthright citizenship, calling it “blatantly unconstitutional” during the first hearing in a multi-state effort challenging the order.

U.S. District Judge John Coughenour after a hearing in Seattle issued a temporary restraining order that prohibits the Trump administration for 14 days from enforcing Trump’s order, which the president signed hours after taking office on Jan. 20.

Zachary Stieber and The Associated Press contributed to this report.