“Many of the agents will be very happy to go back to the job they were trained for on the border.”
Oscar Hagelsieb spent nearly 25 years as an immigration officer and special agent, proud of his work enforcing federal laws.
But watching the chaos unfolding in Minneapolis, and the fatal shooting of a U.S. citizen there on Saturday, Mr. Hagelsieb said he felt anger and despair at how the Trump administration was deploying his former agency.
“You’re not addressing the problem by throwing a 500-pound gorilla into these inner cities,” said Mr. Hagelsieb, 52, who said he voted three times for President Trump and retired from the Department of Homeland Security in 2023. “It’s completely unfair to the agents who have been put in this position.”
Many also worried that the fallout would irreparably damage how the public perceived the two main homeland security agencies involved in Mr. Trump’s crackdown, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Border Patrol, hurting long-term recruitment and retention. Several said they worried that Democrats would draw on voter outrage to shut down ICE, which has been the most publicly visible arm of the immigration operation, if they returned to power.
Some also criticized the more aggressive tactics being used by the Border Patrol, as well as the combative approach of one of its leaders, Gregory Bovino. Mr. Bovino has often used the phrase “turn and burn” to describe Border Patrol operations, a reference to actions like smashing windshields, using explosives to blow down the doors of homes and engaging in car chases.
Gil Kerlikowske, who during the Obama administration led Customs and Border Protection, which includes the Border Patrol, said most Border Patrol agents did not have experience “policing an urban environment.”
Mr. Kerlikowske also said many of the tactics he had seen being used in Minneapolis and other cities, like shooting people with pepper ball rounds and spraying chemical agents at nonviolent protesters, were “far outside standard practices in law enforcement.” And he said his conversations with current Border Patrol employees reflected a grim situation.
“Morale is in the dumpster,” he said. “Many of the agents will be very happy to go back to the job they were trained for on the border.”
It is hard to know how widespread any sense of discontent is among ICE and Border Patrol agents on the ground in Minneapolis or other cities. Many have been seen arguing with protesters and appear to be supporting one another during confrontations. Paul Perez, the chief of the Border Patrol union, told The Times that morale remained “high” and that there were plenty of volunteers for Mr. Trump’s immigration operations.
“Agents are concerned about being doxxed, having their families and themselves put at risk,” Mr. Perez said. “But I don’t think anyone’s afraid to do the mission.”
