Booker, Gallego, 28 Senators Demand Answers on Harms of Diverting Federal Agents for Immigration Enforcement

WASHINGTON D.C. –U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) joined a group of 29 Senators led by U.S. Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) in sending a letter to President Trump, Secretary Noem, and Attorney General Bondi demanding answers on the impact of the administration’s decision to pull thousands of federal law enforcement agents away from their work keeping dangerous criminals off the streets and reassign them to arrest, detain, and deport primarily non-violent immigrants.
“You have pulled agents away from some of the federal government’s most critical criminal investigations, weakening the very work that ensures public safety. In a world in which we must prioritize the use of limited resources, an agent arresting non-violent immigrants necessarily means one less agent available to catch child predators and drug traffickers,”the Senators wrote.“This diversion represents a deliberate choice: a stunning abdication of the basic responsibilities of the executive branch to the American people, and a direct threat to the security of communities across the country.”
Though the majority of immigrants arrested have no criminal background, many agents across the federal government have been pulled off of cases involving child exploitation, drug trafficking, sanctions evasion, cyberattacks, domestic extremism, and foreign adversaries mid-investigation.
There have been reports of reassignments across the federal government, including nearly 25% of agents at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and 80% at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). These diversions are especially devastating at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – one of the primary agencies responsible for combating child exploitation, human trafficking, fentanyl smuggling, and cartels. HSI personnel themselves have warned that these reassignments are dismantling one of the country’s most effective child protection and national security forces. To mitigate the damage, some investigators have even tried to work on their cases at night or on weekends.
“Redirecting these investigators to pad deportation statistics is not simply irresponsible—it is a dereliction of duty with life-or-death consequences that puts the safety of our children in jeopardy,”the Senators continued.“No modern administration has ever attempted a reallocation of this scale or recklessness.”
The Senators’ letter also calls out the dangerous national security implications of the administration’s decision, including damage to cyber and critical infrastructure defenses that protect the systems Americans rely on every day for necessities like clean water, air conditioning, and electricity.
“Taken together, these actions are more than just a routine shift in administration priorities; they represent a systematic dismantling of the very institutions that protect Americans in their homes, online, and in their communities,”the Senators continued.“The fact that the majority of individuals arrested during immigration enforcement operations to date have had no criminal history belies the administration’s claim that it is targeting the “worst of the worst.” Instead, it suggests that federal law enforcement capacity is being sacrificed to fuel a politically orchestrated deportation drive. That tradeoff is indefensible, and it puts Americans at risk to serve a political narrative, not a security strategy.”
The Senators requested:
1. A full accounting of personnel diverted to immigration enforcement from all federal agencies since January 20, 2025, including numbers, assignment duration, and mission details;
2. A list of all investigations paused, terminated, or reassigned as a result of, in whole or in part, these diversions, including those related to child exploitation, cyber intrusions, human trafficking, drug smuggling, domestic extremism, terrorism financing, and violent crime;
3. Any threat, risk, or operational assessments informing the decision to divert personnel;
4. All formal taskings or communications directing agencies to provide personnel for immigration enforcement surge operations;
5. Any internal objections raised by agency leadership or career investigators regarding the diversions, and how these objections were addressed; and
6. Any internal assessments completed to gauge the impacts of these diversions, including on investigations into child exploitation, human trafficking, cybercrime, counter narcotics, and national security investigations.
The letter was also signed by U.S. Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Chris Coons (D-DE), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Mark Warner (D-VA), Peter Welch (D-VT), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Raphael Warnock (D-GA).
To read the full letter, clickhere.