In a significant shake-up, two senior officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have been removed from their roles as the White House intensifies its demands for increased arrests and deportations, aiming to fulfill President Donald Trump’s commitment to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. This information comes from an administration official and a source familiar with the decision. Russell Hott and Peter Berg, who were leading figures in ICE’s enforcement division, will revert to positions at the agency’s Washington field office and in St. Paul, Minnesota, respectively. Todd Lyons, formerly the head of ICE’s Boston office, has been appointed as the acting leader of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin emphasized the need for accountability within ICE, stating, “ICE needs a culture of accountability that it has been starved of for the past four years. We have a President, DHS secretary, and American people who rightfully demand results, and our ICE leadership will ensure the agency delivers.”
This leadership change occurs amid growing frustration from the president and immigration officials regarding the current rate of arrests and deportations, particularly the release of some migrants due to insufficient detention capacity. Although ICE has ramped up arrests in recent weeks, the Trump administration faces numerous obstacles in its goal of mass deportations, a challenging effort that will require substantial funding, time, and resources.
Border Czar Tom Homan remarked, “If you look at the rest of interior enforcement, it’s about three times higher than it was a year ago today. Three times higher is good, but I’m not satisfied. There are more criminal aliens that need to be arrested, hundreds of thousands. Sanctuary cities are putting roadblocks up. We’ve got leaks. So we need to increase the arrests of illegal aliens, especially those with criminal convictions. So we’re going to continue.”
The administration has been active in promoting ICE’s enforcement actions across various media platforms, with White House social media accounts showcasing images of detained migrants being transported and mugshots of those arrested. Data indicates that during the last week of January, ICE averaged over 800 arrests daily. However, in a recent development, the agency has ceased the publication of daily arrest statistics.
