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By Adeola Adeosun
Weekend Night Editor
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President Donald Trump's administration has begun purging U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials in offices across five major U.S. cities—Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix and San Diego—and is filling some of those top posts with senior Border Patrol agents who will take over interior immigration enforcement in those regions, according to exclusive reporting from the Washington Examiner and multiple news outlets.
In a Monday statement to Newsweek, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the agency had "no personnel changes to announce at this time."
Why It Matters
This reported personnel overhaul represents a significant strategic shift in the Trump administration's execution of its immigration enforcement priorities. The restructuring brings in regional chiefs and supervisors normally stationed at the nation's borders to carry out immigration arrests inside the country, a move representing a departure from traditional immigration enforcement structures.
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The shuffle in leadership also reveals internal disagreements within the administration about enforcement strategy. The DHS had plotted to fire all five field office directors but relented amid pushback from acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, who urged that they not be terminated, with one official saying, "The administration wanted all these guys fired and Todd stepped in and said, 'Let's move them all to headquarters.'"
DHS announced plans Monday morning that the department is preparing for a large-scale increase in enforcement operations as newly trained agents begin deploying nationwide.
The measure would provide $45 billion to expand ICE’s detention capacity to nearly 100,000 beds, $14 billion for transportation and removal operations and $8 billion to hire 10,000 new deportation officers. It also includes billions more for state and local cooperation programs, technology upgrades and retention incentives for ICE personnel.
What To Know
ICE leaders in these cities were relieved of their jobs and moved to other posts within the federal agency on Friday, with the DHS quietly beginning to overhaul its mass deportation operation over the weekend.
The five cities are believed to be the first of more to come across ICE's 24 field offices nationwide, according to officials familiar with the plans. One official with firsthand knowledge said that "it's a lot more," indicating the restructuring extends well beyond these initial five locations.
The five officials pushed out from their posts were Denver Field Office Director Robert Guadian; San Diego Field Office Director Patrick Divver; Phoenix Field Office Director John Cantu; Los Angeles Field Office Director Ernesto Santacruz; and Philadelphia's acting Field Office Director Brian McShane. In Philadelphia, an ICE Homeland Security Investigations official, not Border Patrol, will take over.
Gregory Bovino, who oversees the Border Patrol's El Centro, California, region, has become the face of the Trump administration's crackdown for his aggressive style, leading Border Patrol agents in a parade down Chicago's business district and bringing in additional agents to supplement ICE efforts. According to officials, Bovino is now viewed not as an exception but as the new standard for what is to come at ICE.
Since Trump began his second term in the White House, his administration has pushed for high levels of arrests and deportations, as officials anticipate reaching 600,000 deportations by January. In May, Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy, pushed ICE to arrest 3,000 illegal immigrants per day, which would work out to more than 1 million arrests per year.
However, officials note, such lofty figures have proved difficult to achieve as ICE has simultaneously focused on arresting the "worst of the worst," often a one-by-one process.
What People Are Saying
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told Newsweek on Monday: "While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump Administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country."
An anonymous official suggested internal political dynamics at play, telling the Washington Examiner: "I personally think this is being pushed by [Homeland Secretary Kristi] Noem and [Corey Lewandowski, DHS senior adviser] because they don't like [White House border czar Tom Homan]. I think Tom would have said, 'No way.'"
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told CBS News: "The President's entire team is working in lockstep to implement the President's policy agenda, and the tremendous results from securing the border to deporting criminal illegal aliens speak for themselves."
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