White House pressure to ramp up deportations has sparked rising tension and finger‑pointing inside the Department of Homeland Security, according to two DHS officials with direct knowledge of the matter.
Rising Tension Inside DHS
The agency’s secretary, Kristi Noem, and her top adviser, Corey Lewandowski, have blamed subordinates for failing to meet arrest quotas and for undermining relationships inside the West Wing. Noem and Lewandowski have sought to deflect blame from themselves for White House frustration with the pace and scope of the deportations, pinning it instead on the leaders of the agencies in charge of immigration enforcement—acting ICE Director Todd Lyons and Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott, the DHS officials said.
Email Monitoring Concerns
Scott recently expressed concern to colleagues that Lewandowski is able to monitor his emails, sparking concern among other top staffers that their messages were being reviewed. \”Everyone in leadership is so worried about what they say in email and text,\” one of the top staffers said.
Arrest Numbers Lag Behind Goals
ICE is arresting fewer than 1,000 people a day on average, based on ICE data recently released as a result of a lawsuit, far below the 3,000 daily goal set by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller in May. Trump campaigned on a promise to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, but the effort has fallen short of expectations thus far. The administration does not release deportation data.
Internal Confrontations and Threats
The pressure on Noem and Lewandowski has led to tense confrontations within the Homeland Security Department, the two DHS officials said. Lyons has privately pushed back on the notion that it was his fault there wasn’t more space to detain immigrants and has defended himself to colleagues, the officials said. At one point he threatened to quit, arguing that Lewandowski—not him—was responsible for any decisions related to detention facilities, the officials said.
ICE Detention Space Plans
ICE is now moving forward with plans to own and operate its own detention space out of large warehouses, as previously reported by NBC News.
Scott’s Exclusion and Potential Job Loss
Scott has been left out of conversations about Border Patrol operations in major U.S. cities as well as social gatherings that have included other top DHS leaders. DHS leaders also have told Scott he may soon be out of a job, the officials said, despite record low border numbers during his tenure.
Deputy’s Potential Ambassador Post
Earlier this week, Noem’s deputy Troy Edgar was told that Trump plans to name him as U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, a position that would remove him from the No. 2 spot at DHS, according to a person familiar with the plans.
White House Response
White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson praised Noem’s performance when asked about the finger‑pointing. \”Secretary Noem is doing a great job implementing the president’s agenda and making America safe again,\” Jackson said. \”President Trump’s entire immigration team is on the same page when it comes to implementing the president’s agenda and the results speak for themselves — the border is secure, and deportations continue to increase.\” Neither the White House spokesperson nor DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin responded to requests for comment on the finger‑pointing and rising tensions inside the agency. Spokespeople for CBP and ICE did not respond to requests for comment.
Key Takeaways
- Tensions within DHS are driven by blame‑shifting over slow deportation numbers.
- ICE arrests average fewer than 1,000 per day, far below the 3,000 daily target.
- Key leaders, including Scott and Lyons, face internal confrontations and possible job changes.
The article highlights a growing rift inside the Department of Homeland Security as leadership battles over unmet deportation goals, with officials blaming each other while the White House maintains confidence in Noem’s execution of the administration’s immigration agenda.
