The administration of President Donald Trump announced a series of immigration measures involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The president's order aims to deploy agents from this federal agency throughout the country on immigration duties, neglecting other important tasks such as investigations into white-collar crime, counterintelligence, and counterterrorism.
The resolution, supported by internal documents and first reported by Reuters and later by NBC, symbolizes one of the most significant organizational adjustments the agency has undergone in years. The directive impacts all FBI field offices, which will now allocate 45% of their personnel to immigration-related activities. This reorganization significantly affects the nation's 25 largest branches.
In Atlanta, for example, 67 officers, representing nearly half of the total personnel, will be responsible for immigration-related duties every day of the week. In Los Angeles, nine specialized teams will be established for enforcement and removal operations, which will act even against individuals with no criminal record who have overstayed their visas. The FBI's Boston office has been instructed to employ 33 agents for this task.
Concern within the agency itself arose immediately. “This isn’t what we do; these are bad ideas. If this were a Democratic administration, I would say this is bad, that we shouldn’t be doing this,” one official, who declined to be identified, emphasized to NBC News.
FBI representative Ben Williamson explained the change, noting that the agency is committed to collaborating with its colleagues in immigration enforcement and will continue to do so. According to a memo obtained by NBC News, the goal is to assign 2,000 FBI agents nationwide to focus solely on immigration enforcement.
"As you know, we have been actively involved in immigration enforcement efforts in coordination with our partners at the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Beginning this week, we will need to see an increase in the operational tempo of your immigration enforcement efforts," an internal announcement states.
The redirection of bureau officials occurs amid budget cuts. The current president is suggesting a 5% decrease in the FBI budget, while Director Kash Patel authorized 667 early retirement requests from agency employees. The atmosphere within the FBI appears to be filled with unease and skepticism regarding the recent instructions.
A federal law enforcement official said agents feel "uncomfortable being part of immigration operations" due to ICE's inadequate organization, which contrasts with the FBI's standard methods.
On the other hand, immigrant rights groups have also expressed their concern, such as Juan José Gutiérrez, a spokesman for the Coalition for Full Immigrant Rights, who stated: "Instead of going after the real terrorists, we're going after those who clean our gardens, take care of our children, process food, harvest vegetables, etc."
Anxiety among migrant communities is on the rise, and there is concern that a large number of people are not reporting crimes due to fear of retaliation or deportation. At the same time, the Ministry of Justice has asked prosecutors to scale back prosecutions for some business violations.
Criminal Division Chief Matthew Galeotti issued an advisory ordering prosecutors to maintain an "appropriate balance" in these situations. "Excessive and unchecked enforcement of corporate and white-collar laws burdens American businesses and harms the nation's interests," the senior official emphasized.
The document indicates that not all corporate violations warrant federal criminal prosecution and emphasizes the need to reduce both the collateral effect and the length of investigations. Current areas of focus include customs smuggling, evasion of restrictions, money laundering—including by Chinese organizations—and support for terrorist activities.
In addition, previous contracts with sanctioned companies are being reviewed, and some of them could be terminated ahead of schedule. "Federal investigations can significantly interfere with daily business operations and cause reputational damage that can sometimes be unjustifiable," Mattew noted.
This transfer of funds reflects the irritation expressed by Trump and his team regarding what they perceive as a delay in deportation proceedings.
Reports released during the previous U.S. administration reveal that "hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants with criminal records were living in the United States, including more than 10,000 with homicide convictions," according to data cited by NBC News.
Analysts point out that this strategy could hamper defenses against more serious threats such as terrorism and global surveillance. At the same time, human rights advocates are concerned about how a greater emphasis on immigration could undermine public faith in law enforcement and lead to serious social repercussions.
The changes in FBI priorities during the Trump administration represent a significant shift in U.S. security strategy. Focusing on irregular immigration sidelines issues such as defense against terrorism and financial crimes, and transforms the agency's investigative function.
