Memo Reveals Trump Admin Directed FBI Agents to Assist in Immigration Operations

NBC News was able to get a letter that reveals that forty-five percent of all agents working in the twenty-five largest field offices will change their concentration to working on immigration full time. It is planned that nine squads will be established in Los Angeles for the purpose of carrying out Enforcement and Removal Operations. These squads will target illegal immigrants who have overstayed their visa, regardless of whether or not they have a criminal record.

This comes at a time when the Trump administration is proposing a 5% cut to the budget of the agency and more than 600 representatives from the FBI are requesting to retire earlier than they had originally planned.

The Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition’s Juan Jose Gutierrez stated that “instead of going after the real terrorists, we are going to be going after people that are cleaning our yards, taking care of our kids, who are processing food, who are harvesting vegetables, and so on.” Gutierrez was referring to the individuals who are performing these tasks. “That is a very, very significant concern because who is going to be responsible for the broader problem of national security? This is exactly what the Federal Bureau of Investigation was intended to do.

The increasing emphasis that the White House is placing on immigration has caused members of the community to be concerned about their own well-being. Advocates for immigrants claim that members of the community are increasingly opting not to report crimes, despite the fact that local law enforcement authorities, such as police departments and sheriff’s offices, do not perform immigration enforcement.

According to Connie Chung Joe, the Chief Executive Officer of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, “They are feeling incredibly vulnerable, and it’s not just those without status.” Individuals who are in possession of visas, as well as those who are considered to be legal permanent residents, have been reported to be subjected to interrogation, detention, and harassment by federal law enforcement.

An operation that lasted for a week resulted in the arrest of 239 unauthorized immigrants, according to an announcement made by the Los Angeles bureau of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Wednesday. It is not apparent whether officials from the FBI were involved in the operation.

NBC4 has not received a response to its request for comment from either the FBI or the Justice Department.

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