Morale is plummeting among federal immigration officers tasked with carrying out the Trump administration’s aggressive deportation campaign, according to reports. Agents at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) say they are disillusioned by long hours, ambitious arrest quotas, and public hatred.
More than 20 current and former immigration officials spoke to The New York Times of their discontent in the hours after the fatal shooting of 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti by a federal agent in Minneapolis. It was the second deadly shooting of a US citizen by a federal agent in weeks, as officers clashed with protesters amid intense public anger over immigration enforcement tactics.
“You’re not addressing the problem by throwing a 500-pound gorilla into these inner cities,” said Oscar Hagelsieb, a former immigration officer. “They’re causing chaos, and unfortunately it’s costing lives.” Another current ICE official told the Times: “We lost all trust. I’m not sure I can see how we exist three years from now.” The criticism extends to senior leaders, with agents unhappy about “the sharp rhetoric” from top White House and Homeland Security officials.
In response, Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, said officers “get up every morning to try and make our communities safer.” President Donald Trump said border czar Tom Homan has been dispatched to Minnesota, and that his administration is “looking” and “reviewing” all aspects of the Pretti case.
