The FBI is shifting its priorities to significantly increase immigration enforcement, reallocating resources from traditional areas like counterterrorism and fraud investigations. This directive comes amidst reports of a proposed 5% budget cut for the Bureau and a new policy from the Justice Department to deprioritize certain white-collar crimes. Recent memos have mandated a rise in the number of agents dedicated to immigration enforcement, with 45% of agents in the 25 largest FBI field offices now involved in this work. For instance, Atlanta and Los Angeles field offices are assigning substantial personnel to these operations, pursuing non-citizens who have overstayed visas, irrespective of any criminal history.
Despite this new focus, many agents reportedly feel uncomfortable with the immigration mandate, expressing concerns over the operational practices of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Federal agents have raised doubts about this shift, stating that immigration enforcement is not traditionally their role. However, FBI officials defended the initiative, emphasizing their commitment to supporting immigration enforcement efforts.
At the same time, the Justice Department’s Criminal Division is dialing back efforts on corporate crime, suggesting a balance to corporate enforcement that could affect how white-collar crimes are prosecuted. The division’s head stated that excessive enforcement can unduly burden businesses and harm U.S. interests, indicating a more cautious approach to corporate misconduct investigations.
Overall, these changes signify a significant pivot in federal law enforcement’s approach under the Trump Administration, prioritizing immigration at the expense of long-standing focus areas, which could have broad implications for national security and legal investigations.
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