14K Federal Workers — Including USCIS Personnel — Now Assisting ICE

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The Cato Institute says over 14,500 federal law enforcement officers from other agencies are working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to facilitate raids and make arrests nationwide, including new special agents from USCIS.

The Cato Institute this week reported that ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) is receiving assistance from nearly 17,000 non-ERO agents, according to data given to the nonprofit organization.

That includes entertaining U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employees to help with ICE raids.

The Department of Homeland Security this week announced a new class of USCIS employees had been “newly named” as special agents to work with ICE.

USCIS personnel will have the authority “to investigate and enforce civil and criminal violations of the immigration laws within the jurisdiction of USCIS. These authorities include, but are not limited to, the issuance and execution of warrants, the arrest of individuals, and carrying of firearms,” ​​according to a notice published Friday in the Federal Register.

This includes ordering expedited removals. USCIS says it plans to recruit and train special agents for these roles.

“As (Homeland Security) Secretary Noem delegated legal authorities to expand the agency’s law enforcement capabilities, this rule allows us to fulfill our critical mission. This historic moment will better address immigration crimes, hold those that perpetrate immigration fraud accountable, and act as a force multiplier for DHS and our federal law enforcement partners, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force,” USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said in a statement.

Edlow says this will allow his agency to handle investigations from start to finish, instead of referring some cases to Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and ERO agents.