Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem's controversial chief adviser Corey Lewandowski is reportedly leading a "purge" on rival Immigration and Customs Enforcement leaders as the Trump administration demands more arrests and citing "lagging removal numbers."
For the first time ever, Border Patrol officials will step into ICE positions, moving to a more aggressive approach and removing five ICE field leaders from offices in Denver, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Diego and Philadelphia, The Daily Beast reports.
Fox News reports that "tense" and "combative" infighting between ICE and Border Patrol has pitted the two groups against each other. Lewandowski, President Donald Trump's former campaign manager and Noem's rumored extramarital affair partner, has apparently compiled a list of at least a dozen field officers to be replaced by Border Patrol.
Noem, Lewandowski and Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino reportedly "want high-visibility sweeps to increase daily counts as they try to hit a ‘3,000-a-day’ deportations benchmark set by Donald Trump’s influential deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller."
Lewandowski is considered a DHS special government employee. He travels with Noem and works as her "gatekeeper," influencing strategy and personnel.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, referred to the unprecedented moment in a post on X late Monday:
"HUGE moment. ICE leadership is being purged tonight. The old guard, which prioritized targeted enforcement operations aimed at people with criminal records, is being replaced with Border Patrol and Greg Bovino's 'Midway Blitz' style.
Think things are bad now? It'll get worse."