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A full-blown turf war has erupted inside the Department of Homeland Security, and it’s leaving a trail of pink slips behind. A dozen top ICE chiefs are being removed from their posts in what insiders are calling the biggest shakeup in years. The moves, which hit ICE field offices in at least eight cities, are part of a growing power struggle over how aggressively the U.S. should pursue deportations. According to four senior DHS officials via Fox News, the changes are exposing deep divisions between two warring camps. On one side are Border Czar Tom Homan and ICE Director Todd Lyons, who believe the agency should stick to targeting “criminal aliens” and those with final deportation orders. On the other side sit DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, senior adviser Corey Lewandowski, and Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino, who want to go after anyone in the country illegally, no matter their record. “It’s tense, it’s combative,” one senior official said. “ICE started off going after the worst of the worst, knowing every target they hit. But since Border Patrol came to L.A. in June, we’ve lost focus, going too hard, too fast, with limited prioritization. We’re getting numbers, but at what cost?” Another official put it even more bluntly. “ICE is arresting criminal aliens. They [Border Patrol] are hitting Home Depots and car washes.” The purge appears to be reshaping ICE from the inside out. Field offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver, Portland, Philadelphia, El Paso, and New Orleans are all seeing leadership changes. Many of those positions will now be filled by Border Patrol or Customs and Border Protection officials, a move that some see as a quiet takeover. For Border Patrol leaders, that’s the point. “What did everyone think mass deportations meant? Only the worst?” one Border Patrol agent said. “Tom Homan has said it himself—anyone in the U.S. illegally is on the table.” Behind the scenes, deportation numbers have reportedly fallen below targets set earlier this year, and the shakeup seems designed to turn those stats around quickly. A DHS spokesperson tried to calm speculation, calling the reassignments “performance-based” and meant “to move people around for the best results.” Still, few inside the department believe this is just about performance. Multiple sources described an atmosphere of distrust, where ICE veterans feel sidelined and Border Patrol brass are tightening their grip. “This isn’t about efficiency, it’s about control,” one longtime DHS employee said. “They’re trying to merge the two cultures, but ICE was built around investigations, not raids. Those lines are blurring fast.” The changes come as Secretary Noem faces growing criticism from both immigration advocates and career DHS staffers who accuse her of politicizing enforcement decisions. Her push for higher deportation numbers has alarmed even some within the agency who typically support hardline policies. One ICE manager summed it up grimly: “We used to be the scalpel. Now we’re the hammer.” As DHS reshuffles the deck, the stakes couldn’t be higher. Whether this power play boosts deportations or further fractures one of the most powerful law enforcement agencies in the country remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: Washington’s immigration wars aren’t just being fought on the border anymore. They’re being fought inside DHS itself.
