
President Donald Trump’s administration has expanded its immigration enforcement efforts by granting new authority to thousands of federal law enforcement agents, significantly increasing the number of personnel tasked with locating and apprehending illegal immigrants. Acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman issued a directive authorizing several Justice Department agencies to support immigration operations.
The directive extends immigration enforcement powers to officers from the U.S. Marshals, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Bureau of Prisons. These agencies, which typically focus on their own areas of enforcement, will now play an active role in assisting Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol in rounding up individuals residing in the country unlawfully.
Is this a much better use of @ATFHQ agents?@realDonaldTrump is trying to amass a larger force of law-enforcement officials to carry out deportations by granting agents across the federal government the same powers as immigration officershttps://t.co/GC35Igvek7
— John R Lott Jr. (@JohnRLottJr) January 23, 2025
Huffman described the move as a necessary step in fulfilling Trump’s commitment to enforce immigration laws and ensure national security. She stated that law enforcement agencies under the Justice Department will now have the resources to identify, track, and detain individuals who entered the U.S. illegally, something that was previously limited to DHS personnel.
The Trump administration has authorized the DEA, ATF and the US Marshals to begin making immigration arrests and processing deportations, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.
The move gives those federal agents the same authority as those with Homeland Security… pic.twitter.com/nmYYQHgAdT
— Crime In NYC (@CrimeInNYC) January 24, 2025
With this expanded workforce, an estimated 31,000 additional officers are now available to assist with enforcement, nearly doubling the current number of agents dedicated to immigration matters. This surge in personnel is expected to increase the administration’s ability to conduct large-scale operations.
🚨 BREAKING:
President Trump has now given the ATF, DEA, and U.S. Marshals Service the ability to arrest illegals, per WSJ..
This instantly added almost TEN THOUSAND new federal agents to the deportation squad…
They’re ALL going back ! pic.twitter.com/eJRRoQitdK
— Viktorija (@TrumpGirl44) January 25, 2025
Since Trump’s return to office, hundreds of arrests have been made across several cities, including the apprehension of individuals linked to criminal activity such as gang violence and drug offenses. Recent operations targeted known sanctuary cities where local officials have resisted federal enforcement efforts.
Trump grants deportation powers to ATF, DEA, and U.S. Marshals! 🇺🇸 Agencies tackling drugs and weapons now stepping into immigration enforcement. The border fight just leveled up. pic.twitter.com/Aa2HxECT3r
— TexanonX™ (@TexanonX) January 23, 2025
The administration has vowed to continue efforts to secure the border and enforce existing immigration laws, with plans to ramp up operations nationwide in the coming months.
🚨Update: Trump empowers all Justice Department agents to deport illegal migrants — WSJ. The newspaper noted that DEA and ATF employees had not been involved in immigration enforcement, except where there are gun-related or drug-trafficking crimes!! pic.twitter.com/dSr4bu8OqB
— US Homeland Security News (@defense_civil25) January 23, 2025