Inside the ICE offices where morale is ‘miserable’ and the deportation push has become ‘mission impossible’
Outside the Immigration and Customs Enforcement offices, President Donald Trump showers “heroic” agents with praise. Inside, that adoration is nowhere to be found.Trump has hailed ICE agents as brave, determined and “the toughest people you’ll ever meet.” They are, after all, tasked with carrying out one of his key policy goals: mass deportations.
Despite Trump casting a bright light on the immigration enforcement agency, the reality inside ICE offices is very dark. With high expectations, shifting priorities and a heightened fear of losing their job, morale is low and the pressure is high, officials told The Atlantic.
The ex-official added: “Even those that are gung ho about the mission aren’t happy with how they are asking to execute it—the quotas and the shift to the low-hanging fruit to make the numbers.”
Although the administration pledged to arrest “the worst of the worst,” data last month shows ICE has arrested just a small fraction of those convicted of serious crimes, such as murder and sexual assault.
There’s a notable shift in priorities from trying to keep the nation safe to being quota-driven, some officials said. “No drug cases, no human trafficking, no child exploitation,” a veteran agent told The Atlantic. “It’s infuriating.” The agent is considering quitting rather than having to continue “arresting gardeners.”
Inside the ICE offices where pressure has become ‘mission impossible’
‘Morale is in the crapper,’ one former agent said
www.the-independent.com
