ICE leadership shakeup underway amid DHS friction over deportations
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A massive shakeup in the leadership of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is underway amid growing friction within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over deportation tactics and priorities, according to four senior DHS officials.
The overhaul affects ICE field offices in at least eight cities and will replace many top leaders with Border Patrol officials, officials told Fox News, marking an unprecedented shift in power within DHS and revealing sharp divisions over how far to go in increasing deportations.
The changes are being driven by rival camps within DHS.
On one side are Border Czar Tom Homan and ICE Director Todd Lyons, who advocate focusing on criminal aliens and those with final deportation orders.
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U.S. Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem and “Border Czar” Tom Homan are photographed during a press conference regarding a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer who was shot in Manhattan, New York, on Monday, July 21, 2025. (Barry Williams/Getty Images)
On the other side are DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, senior adviser Corey Lewandowski and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, who are pushing for a broader, more aggressive approach by targeting everyone in the U.S. illegally to increase the number of deportations.
Two senior officials described the mood within DHS as “tense” and “combative,” while some ICE leaders warned that the new approach could erode public support and blur the lines between ICE and Border Patrol operations.
“ICE started with the worst of the worst, knowing every target they hit, but since Border Patrol came to Los Angeles in June, we’ve lost focus, gone too hard, too fast with limited prioritization,” a senior DHS official told Fox. “The numbers are being achieved, but at what cost?”
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A protester wearing an inflatable Capybara costume stands outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters in south Portland. (Carlos Barria/Reuters)
Another senior official put it bluntly: “ICE is detaining criminal aliens. [Border Patrol] “He’s attacking Home Depots and car washes.”
Border Patrol agents defended the new strategy.
“What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Just the worst?” an agent told Fox News. “Tom Homan said it himself; everyone who is illegal in the United States is at the table.”
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Greg Bovino, USBP Chief Patrol Agent for the El Centro sector, speaks with federal agents in the Cicero neighborhood during an immigration raid in Chicago. (Jim Vondruska/Reuters)
Internal friction comes as the number of deportations falls short of targets set by the administration earlier this year. Officials told Fox News that the latest round of appointments affected ICE field chiefs in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Portland, Philadelphia, El Paso and New Orleans; The positions are expected to be filled by Border Patrol and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials.
A separate DHS official confirmed the staffing changes, calling them “performance-based” and designed “to move people around to achieve the best outcomes.”
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“While we do not have personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump administration remains focused on achieving results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
