Senior immigration officials tasked with carrying out President Donald Trump’s deportation agenda have been reassigned, a sign of early friction as agencies try to hit ambitious targets.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement senior officials Peter Berg and Russell Hott were sent back to do field work, and Todd Lyons is now leading the agency’s Enforcement and Removals Operations, the unit responsible for arrests and deportations, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed Tuesday night.
Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, told NewsNation in an interview on Tuesday he was “not satisfied” with arrest numbers.
“ICE needs a culture of accountability that it has been starved of for the past four years,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement confirming the demotions. “We have a President, DHS Secretary, and American people who rightfully demand results, and our ICE leadership will ensure the agency delivers.”
DHS has trumpeted its efforts to ramp up arrests and removals since Trump took office last month. However, the agency has limited resources and has called on Congress to supplement its budget to hit targets.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Tuesday said senior Trump officials were on Capitol Hill “begging for money” for immigration enforcement.
Jonathan Tamari in Washington, D.C. also contributed to this story.
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