The Department of Homeland Security has authorized law enforcement agents from across the federal government to partake in “investigating, determining the location of, and apprehending” undocumented migrants, issuing a directive aimed at operationalizing the president’s signature campaign promise on immigration, according to a memo obtained by CBS News.
The directive allows federal law enforcement agents to conduct immigration-related enforcement actions that are usually reserved for officials under the Department of Homeland Security.
The memo, authored by acting Homeland Security Secretary Benjamine Huffman, says DHS will grant “the functions of an immigration officer” to several Justice Department law enforcement agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the U.S. Marshals Service.
Despite a burst of policy changes since Trump took office, no large-scale immigration operations have been carried out yet.