By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Two top U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have been reassigned amid pressure to dramatically increase arrests of immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally, three sources familiar with the matter said.
In a move announced to staff on Tuesday, ICE said Russell Hott and Peter Berg, the two most senior officials in the agency’s enforcement division, would be reassigned. The Washington Post first reported the news.
President Donald Trump took office in January promising record deportations, saying they were necessary after high levels of immigration under his predecessor Joe Biden. Trump issued executive orders making it easier for ICE officers to arrest non-criminals and assigned other federal agents to assist ICE.
While arrests surged in late January to 800-1,200 per day, enforcement tapered off in February as detention centers filled up and the additional enforcement teams returned home, two of the sources and another person familiar with the matter said.
Acting ICE Director Caleb Vitello remains under pressure to increase arrests and deportations while releasing fewer people from custody in the next week, one of the sources said.
Trump’s border czar Tom Homan said on Tuesday he was not happy with the number of arrests.
“Three times higher is good, but I’m not satisfied,” he told reporters at the White House.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin did not confirm the reassignments but said in a statement that “a culture of accountability” was needed within ICE.
“We have a President, DHS Secretary, and American people who rightfully demand results, and our ICE leadership will ensure the agency delivers,” she said.
Hott and Berg could not immediately be reached.
Hott will transfer to ICE’s local office in Washington, D.C., and Berg will go to Minnesota, one of the sources said.
There were roughly 11 million immigrants in the U.S. illegally or with a temporary status at the start of 2022, according to a U.S. government estimate, a figure that some analysts say has now risen to as many as 14 million people.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Additional reporting by Katharine Jackson and Kristina Cooke in San Francisco; Editing by Kate Mayberry)
