CHICAGO (WLS) — Currently, almost 25% of FBI agents are assigned to immigration enforcement, according to figures given to Sen. Mark Warner’s office by the FBI. These numbers increase significantly in some major field offices nationwide, with up to 45% of FBI agents engaged in President Donald Trump’s immigration initiatives.
As operation “Midway Blitz” progresses in Chicago and additional federal agents are deployed to Democratic cities, resulting in significant public opposition, the ABC7 I-Team discovered that 23% of FBI agents across the country are now involved in immigration enforcement. The FBI’s traditional roles include investigating foreign espionage, terrorism, cyber threats, and international gangs.
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“My concern is that if you’re diverting agents from these crucial duties to conduct civil immigration enforcement, there will be fewer FBI investigations in these critical areas and a heightened risk to national security,” former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism John Cohen told the I-Team.
He says there is a finite number of law enforcement resources working on complex public safety investigations.
“If FBI agents aren’t participating in Joint Terrorism Task Forces, there will be a reduction in terrorism investigations. If they aren’t part of drug gang task forces, violent street gangs and drug trafficking cartel investigations will suffer,” Cohen stated.
And with such a large contingent pulled from their duties, he says drug cartels and bad actors are watching.
“I am absolutely certain that they are monitoring how federal agents are being shifted from drug task forces and are seeking ways to exploit the diminished resources in those areas,” said Cohen.
The Chicago FBI, in a statement to the I-Team, mentioned that as the fourth largest field office, it has been aiding immigration enforcement efforts since January this year and does not comment on staffing distribution. They affirm their commitment to safeguarding the American public and upholding the constitution.
“So, to say that they’re allocated to do immigration, it’s not like the rest of their other investigations, and the other job they could do is just automatically stopping,” said ABC7 law enforcement expert and former Deputy Special Agent in Charge at the Secret Service in Chicago Derek Mayer. He says he’s unconcerned with the reassignments.
“I think it’s very easy for the public to jump at this and say… you know, 40% of FBI agents are allocated to immigration, but agents are very good at multitasking, very good at doing many things simultaneously on a day to day basis,” Mayer said.
Sen. Dick Durbin said in a statement to the ABC 7 I-Team, the president is diverting critical resources from domestic terrorism threats and drug trafficking enforcement and this “shortsighted decision by FBI Director Kash Patel, in service of the President’s agenda, only makes our country less safe.”
