The Trump Administration’s focus on immigration has realigned federal law enforcement as thousands of federal agents once tasked with investigating drug smuggling, sexual exploitation, and organized crime have been redirected to immigration enforcement. To meet the Trump Administration’s immigration goals, Homeland Security Investigations agents, Customs and Border Protection officers, FBI officials, and even the Postal Service have been pulled from their traditional duties to help track, detain, and deport undocumented immigrants. Even Border Patrol officers who once specialized in inspecting cargo are being dispatched to states as far away as Pennsylvania to hunt for undocumented workers. As a result, screening, inspection, and drug interdiction are declining, as are referrals of complex criminal cases for prosecution.
