Acting Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Benjamine Huffman issued a directive on Thursday authorizing more federal law enforcement officers to locate and arrest illegal immigrants in the United States.
The mandate grants authority to Department of Justice (DOJ) law enforcement officials in the U.S. Marshals, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to investigate and apprehend illegal immigrants.
In a statement, Huffman said doing so was essential to fulfilling President Donald Trump’s promise to carry out mass deportations of illegal immigrants.
Typically, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) are responsible for enforcing the country’s immigration laws. It was not immediately clear how many officers would be affected or redirected under the newly expanded immigration enforcement powers. The DEA, ATF, and BOP collectively employ thousands of Americans….