The Trump administration reportedly intends to drastically shake things up at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) out of frustration with the agency’s deportation numbers.
According to Fox News’ Bill Melugin, the administration plans to purge “a handful of ICE Chiefs” and replace them with officials from Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Why? CBP-affiliated agents tend to be much more aggressive in their tactics.
BREAKING: Per four senior DHS & Trump admin sources, a mass removal of ICE leadership around the country is underway, with up to 12 ICE field office chiefs being removed & reassigned in an effort to increase deportation numbers. I’m told the move is spearheaded by Corey…
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) October 27, 2025
“President Donald Trump’s top aides have welcomed Border Patrol’s more aggressive tactics to secure arrests, such as rappelling into apartment buildings from Black Hawk helicopters and jumping out of rental trucks in Home Depot parking lots, as they’ve become disappointed with ICE,” two administration officials told NBC News.
Their disappointment with ICE stems from how long the agency takes to carry out arrests of illegal aliens.
“Generally speaking, ICE typically conducts very targeted operations, largely going after criminal illegal aliens or those with deportation orders, but almost always knowing who they are targeting for arrest, often conducting surveillance to learn their schedules before and waiting hours before arresting them if needed,” according to Melugin.
The Trump administration wants to remake ICE with Border Patrol’s more in-your-face, aggressive style.
We’ve seen Greg Bovino, the El Centro, CA chief help with illegal immigrant arrests in some cities since June. He very much has the Trump admin’s approval and Trump world wants… pic.twitter.com/qvH6VbdH9t
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) October 27, 2025
The goal of the Trump administration is to deport one million illegal aliens by the end of its first year in office, but thus far, the administration is still hundreds of thousands of illegal aliens away from hitting that goal.
This has triggered a feud between several top Trump administration officials, namely Border Czar Tom Homan and ICE Director Todd Lyons versus Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Homeland Security special employee Corey Lewandowski, who’s close with Noem, and Border Patrol Sector Chief Greg Bovino.
According to Melugin, Homan and Lyons prefer “to prioritize targeting criminal aliens and the ‘worst of the worst’ or those with deportation orders,” while the latter three “prefer to use aggressive tactics to arrest anyone in the US illegally.”
“ICE started with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they are hitting, but since Border Patrol started in LA in June, we’ve lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization. It’s getting numbers, but at what cost?” one concerned Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official told Melugin.
One Border Patrol agent, meanwhile, defended BP’s tactics.
“What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst? Tom Homan has said it himself, anyone in the US illegally is on the table,” the agent said to Melugin.
So far, Noem, Lewandowski, and Bovino appear to be winning.
“The White House has signed off on a list of at least a dozen directors of ICE field officers who are set to be reassigned in the coming days,” NBC News notes.
The list was reportedly compiled by Lewandowski and Bovino.
One DHS official who spoke with the Washington Examiner speculated that Homan isn’t happy about any of this.
“I personally think this is being pushed by Noem and Lewandowski because they don’t like Homan. I think Tom would have said, ‘No way,'” the official said.
White House border czar Tom Homan (former ICE chief) is said to be at odds with Kristi Noem/Corey Lewandowski over how the DHS officials are treating ICE employees.
“I personally think this is being pushed by Noem and [DHS senior advisor Corey Lewandowski] because they don’t… pic.twitter.com/pMNmS9IY6x
— Anna Giaritelli (@Anna_Giaritelli) October 27, 2025
The ICE offices that have been affected by the purge reportedly include Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, El Paso, New Orleans, Portland, and Philadelphia.
In a statement to the Examiner, the administration neither confirmed nor denied this reporting.
“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,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said.
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
- Anger brews at Barack Obama for destroying national landmark to build monument to self - November 13, 2025
- CEO of company that deploys paid protesters to events urges Congress to crack down - November 13, 2025
- ‘Cover up for pedophiles’: Epstein maniac Massie warns GOP colleagues who would try to block file release - November 13, 2025
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.