ICE Leadership Shakeup Reveals Deep DHS Divide Over Deportation

The Department of Homeland Security is facing a major internal rift as a sweeping shakeup hits ICE leadership across the country exposing deep disagreements over how to handle deportation under the Trump administration's renewed immigration crackdown.

According to multiple senior DHS officials, the overhaul will affect ICE field offices in at least eight major cities and shift power away from career ICE leaders toward Border Patrol and CBP officials, dramatically reshaping how immigration enforcement is conducted nationwide.

The reason? A growing divide inside DHS between those who want to focus on criminal aliens and those pushing for broader, more aggressive enforcement targeting anyone in the U.S. illegally.

Here’s what we know:

• ICE offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Portland, Philadelphia, El Paso, and New Orleans are all seeing leadership changes.

• The replacements are mostly Border Patrol agents, signaling a shift from ICE’s traditional strategy toward mass deportation tactics.

• The split pits ICE Director Todd Lyons and Border Czar Tom Homan against DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, Corey Lewandowski, and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, who favor casting a wider net.

One senior ICE official summed it up clearly: “We’ve lost our focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization.”

Another added: “ICE is arresting criminal aliens. They [Border Patrol] are hitting Home Depots and car washes.”

In short, ICE veterans are warning that enforcement is becoming more indiscriminate, while Border Patrol leaders are unapologetically embracing the Trump administration’s stance: “Anyone in the U.S. illegally is on the table.”

This internal tug-of-war reflects a broader struggle over what immigration enforcement should look like in 2025 and beyond. While the Biden administration decimated ICE’s authority and slashed deportation numbers to historic lows, the Trump team is working to undo the damage and restore law and order. But as the deportation machine ramps up again, old guard ICE officials are struggling to adapt to a new, unapologetic enforcement paradigm.

The shakeup also reveals how serious the Trump administration is about hitting its deportation targets, which still remain below the aggressive benchmarks set earlier this year. By bringing in Border Patrol leadership, DHS is clearly signaling its intent to increase removals and close the loopholes exploited under the Biden era.

And despite leftist outrage, the American public is largely behind these efforts:

• A 2024 Rasmussen poll found that 64% of voters support the deportation of all illegal immigrants currently living in the U.S.

• Illegal immigration hit an all-time high in 2023, with over 3.2 million border encounters, many of whom were released into the country with little or no oversight.

Meanwhile, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin made it clear. “The Trump administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country.”

But the battle inside DHS proves one thing: not everyone within the federal bureaucracy is on board with Trump’s America First approach to immigration enforcement. And that internal resistance could be the next big challenge.

We’ll be watching closely to see if the new leadership delivers the results Americans have demanded for years or if the swamp fights back.

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