Shakeup at ICE as Trump administration looks to triple arrests
Two senior leaders at Immigration and Customs Enforcement are out as part of a broader Trump administration push to increase arrests of undocumented immigrants. Kenneth Genalo, the head of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), is retiring, and Robert Hammer, who led Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), is being reassigned.
Hammer’s move is one of several leadership changes announced this week as the agency undergoes a major realignment.
According to a press release from ICE, Genalo will continue to serve in a field leadership capacity as a special government employee.
What’s driving the changes?
The personnel shakeup follows directives from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller to boost immigration arrests to 3,000 per day — roughly triple current levels.
Despite his role as Trump’s “border czar,” Tom Homan told Axios he was not briefed on the leadership changes, though he has publicly supported the administration’s more aggressive targets.
How is manpower being deployed?
CNN reported the administration is redirecting federal manpower to hit arrest goals, including President Donald Trump’s broader target of 1 million deportations per year. That effort includes the reassignment of hundreds of FBI agents to immigration enforcement tasks.
In New York, an internal email offered FBI agents overtime pay to assist with ICE operations. The email, according to CNN, mentioned the possibility of future transfers to divisions of their choice as an incentive.
“Our agents and support staff are dedicated professionals working around the clock to defend the homeland and crush violent crime — a mission which certainly overlaps with the consequences of the previous administration’s four-year open border policies,” FBI spokesman Ben Williamson said.
He declined to comment to CNN on ICE staffing changes but confirmed interagency collaboration is underway.
What’s in Trump’s immigration budget?
Trump is backing a sweeping immigration enforcement budget currently under consideration in Congress. As The Washington Post reported, the proposal includes $150 billion over five years for border security and immigration enforcement.
The budget would fund 10,000 additional ICE agents, 8,500 more Customs and Border Protection officers and increase detention bed capacity from 41,000 to 100,000.
In a proclamation marking the 101st anniversary of the U.S. Border Patrol, Trump touted early enforcement results, claiming 150,000 arrests and more than 135,000 deportations during his first 100 days in office.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
