Border Patrol Takes Lead in ICE Overhaul as Deportation Targets Intensify

The replacement of senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials with Border Patrol supervisors represents a notable realignment of authority within the Department of Homeland Security. The Trump administration’s new strategy emphasizes direct enforcement and rapid deportation actions, blending the traditionally separate roles of Border Patrol and ICE officers.

Among those now assisting with ICE operations is Gregory Bovino, who oversees the Border Patrol’s El Centro, California, sector. Bovino has become a visible presence in multiple U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, and Portland, where he has led enforcement teams and interacted directly with protesters during immigration operations.

Officials describe Bovino’s aggressive and field-driven approach as a model for how ICE offices will now operate under the administration’s tightened immigration agenda. One DHS insider said Bovino “is not the exception anymore — he’s the new standard.”

The personnel transition coincides with the administration’s push to achieve 600,000 deportations by January 2026. In May, White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller reportedly urged ICE to reach 3,000 arrests daily, which would total roughly one million annually — a goal that would represent one of the largest enforcement surges in agency history.

DHS has increasingly relied on Border Patrol agents to assist in interior enforcement operations, raising questions about jurisdictional boundaries. Traditionally, Border Patrol’s authority is confined to a 100-mile radius from the U.S. border. Despite this, Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks stated earlier this month that his agents were already assisting ICE in 27 cities nationwide.

“While we have no personnel changes to announce at this time, the Trump administration remains laser focused on delivering results and removing violent criminal illegal aliens from this country,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a Monday statement.

As DHS continues to restructure ICE’s 24 field offices, more leadership shifts are expected. The initiative underscores the administration’s intent to merge the capabilities of both agencies into a single, more assertive enforcement force — one focused on accelerating arrests and deportations across the nation.