Trump Administration to Deploy Border Agents to Support ICE within U.S.

Reportedly, the Trump administration is readying to send an influx of border agents nationwide to assist the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in apprehending unauthorized immigrants within the country. This information was shared with CBS News by three sources familiar with the initiative.

Mobilization of Federal Resources

This strategy marks a further intensification in the administration's comprehensive mobilization of federal resources and personnel to bolster ICE. The president has promised this effort as part of one of his most significant immigration enforcement initiatives in U.S. history.

Approximately 500 individuals from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), including Border Patrol agents traditionally tasked with preventing unauthorized crossings and drug trafficking, will reportedly be involved, according to inside sources who preferred to remain unnamed.

Composition of the Deployment

The deployment aims to include members from the Office of Field Operations—overseeing entry checkpoints—and Air and Marine Operations, which provides airborne and marine law enforcement capabilities. These CBP agents are intended to work alongside colleagues in ICE's various field offices, supporting operations directed at detaining individuals unlawfully present in the United States.

The initiative is projected to commence imminently, possibly within the week, according to two sources.

Expanding Scope and Authority

While CBP officers have the authority to arrest and process suspected unauthorized immigrants, their activities have largely been restricted to border regions, coastal areas, and airports. Requests for comments from the Homeland Security Department and CBP remained unanswered.

Federal Collaboration and Military Aid

This plan underscores the administration's effort to amplify its immigration enforcement by drawing on a variety of agencies, while discussions in Congress continue about allocating further funding to ICE for more personnel and detention facilities.

Already, federal law enforcement entities like the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; and even the Internal Revenue Service have been enlisted to support ICE's endeavors in apprehending unauthorized immigrants. Likewise, the Department of Defense has been approached to extend aid for internal enforcement activities, with thousands of military personnel positioned along the southern frontier to reinforce border security further.

Shift in Enforcement Priorities

This push suggests a pivot from focusing on the U.S.-Mexico boundary amidst a record reducution in illegal crossings. In President Trump's early months in office, figures for illegal crossings hit unprecedented lows according to CBP.

The administration credits these significant drops to policies introduced by President Trump, such as tightening asylum processes significantly, framing it as a response to a so-called invasion.

The CBS News item was authored by Camilo Montoya-Galvez, an immigration reporter based in Washington.