Executive Summary
- A New York Times investigation found the Department of Homeland Security diverted thousands of agents from other missions to focus on immigration enforcement under President Trump.
- The shift reportedly undermined investigations into child sexual exploitation, terrorism financing, and human trafficking.
- Internal data showed a 33% reduction in hours investigators spent on child exploitation cases during a specific period compared to previous years.
- Administration officials defended the policy, arguing that illegal immigration is linked to other serious crimes.
A New York Times investigation has found that the Department of Homeland Security, under mounting pressure from President Trump, diverted thousands of federal agents from their primary duties to focus on arresting undocumented immigrants. This shift has reportedly undermined a wide range of critical law enforcement operations, including those targeting child exploitation, terrorism financing, and human trafficking.
According to the report, which is based on internal DHS documents and interviews with over 65 current and former officials, the redirection of resources has had significant consequences. Investigators working on sexual crimes against children were redeployed for weeks at a time, hampering their ability to pursue predators. Similarly, a national security probe into the black market for Iranian oil, believed to finance terrorism, was slowed for months, allowing potential targets to disappear.
The investigation reveals that the changes extended deep into the department’s public-safety mission. The Coast Guard diverted aircraft to transport immigrants, and the DHS law enforcement academy delayed training for multiple agencies to prioritize new immigration officers. According to a Times analysis of data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, homeland security investigators worked approximately 33 percent fewer hours on child exploitation cases from February through April compared to their average in prior years.
The Department of Homeland Security was established after the September 11, 2001, attacks with a broad mandate to prevent terrorism, protect national leaders, and investigate transnational crime. While immigration enforcement was part of its duties, the current administration has remade the agency to prioritize deportation efforts above other functions.
Administration officials defended the approach, stating that the immigration crackdown is essential for public safety and national security. “Child exploitation, human trafficking, terrorism, financial scams and smuggling all have a nexus to illegal immigration,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokeswoman. A White House spokeswoman added that any suggestion the administration is not successfully combating dangerous crime is “false and uninformed.”
However, federal data analyzed by the Times shows that fewer than 40 percent of individuals detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have a criminal conviction in the United States. Approximately 8 percent of those arrested had been convicted of a violent crime.
Shift in Priorities
The report details how highly trained specialists, including analysts in money laundering and counterterrorism cases, have been reassigned to immigration duties. These new tasks have included compiling addresses, monitoring student protesters, and making arrests in public spaces. This strategic overhaul reflects the administration’s intensified focus on immigration enforcement over other longstanding national security and public safety missions. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.