Officials involved in the U.S. legal immigration system have been invited to volunteer for roles supporting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, as revealed in an internal notice obtained by CBS News. This move underscores the Trump administration’s focus on intensified deportation efforts.
This week, employees of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) were encouraged to enlist for assignments lasting 60 days — referred to by the government as “details” — to assist ICE, the agency tasked with fulfilling President Trump’s commitment to mass deportations.
The assignments, which may extend beyond the initial 60 days, are scheduled to begin on March 10 and will take place in various states, according to the internal communication from Kika Scott, the acting head of USCIS. Two officials from the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS and ICE, confirmed the email’s authenticity to CBS News.
“Leadership should strive to support participation and authorize details unless the absence of the employee would severely impede mission success or compromise other critical departmental priorities,” stated the email to USCIS staff.
USCIS employees manage the nation’s legal immigration framework and evaluate applications for various benefits, including U.S. citizenship, permanent residency, work permits, and asylum cases.
In contrast, ICE is responsible for enforcing U.S. immigration laws within the country by identifying, apprehending, detaining, and deporting unauthorized immigrants.
The internal message did not specify exactly how USCIS volunteers would aid ICE operations. However, a source from the Department of Homeland Security, who requested anonymity due to lack of authorization to speak with the press, indicated that USCIS volunteers might be tasked with supporting detainee processing, case management, records verification, and data entry.
DHS representatives did not respond to requests for comments.
The email to USCIS staff noted that while most of the agency’s 20,000 employees are eligible to apply for the ICE assignments, the Trump administration primarily seeks those with relevant immigration experience.
“All employees, regardless of job series or grade, may apply, but ICE has a particular need for those with pertinent experience to support its operations, including immigration officers, immigration services officers, refugee officers, and personnel for mission and operations support,” the email mentioned.
This outreach for volunteers is the latest initiative from the Trump administration to mobilize manpower and resources throughout the federal government to aid its efforts in arresting and deporting many of the millions of immigrants living unlawfully in the U.S.
Additionally, the Trump administration has empowered law enforcement officials from various agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the State Department, and others, to conduct immigration enforcement operations.
Instructions have also been given to the Department of Defense and the Federal Bureau of Prisons to allow ICE to utilize some of their facilities for detaining migrants awaiting deportation, including the naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Officers from ICE’s investigative branch, Homeland Security Investigations, which has historically focused on addressing child exploitation, human trafficking, and other serious crimes, have also been directed to carry out immigration arrests.
While ICE has expanded its arrest operations across the nation under Mr. Trump, it still grapples with the same operational and financial difficulties it has encountered under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
As of earlier this week, ICE’s network of for-profit prisons and county jails was operating at 120% capacity, housing over 46,000 immigrants facing deportation, despite being designed for just 38,500 detainees, as per internal agency data.
