Gillibrand and Senate colleagues press Trump administration for answers over diversion of federal agents to immigration enforcement

New York – U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and a group of 29 Senate Democratic colleagues are pressing the Trump administration for answers after thousands of federal law enforcement agents were reassigned from criminal investigations to immigration enforcement duties. The lawmakers say the shift has weakened public safety efforts nationwide and pulled critical resources away from investigations involving some of the most serious threats facing American communities.

In a letter sent to President Trump, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, and Attorney General Pam Bondi, the senators demanded detailed explanations for the decision to divert federal agents from their regular assignments. According to the lawmakers, agents who were previously focused on combating violent crime, child exploitation, cybercrime, drug trafficking, and national security threats are now being tasked with arresting, detaining, and deporting primarily non-violent immigrants.

“Once again, the Trump administration is jeopardizing the safety of our communities in a blatant attempt to score political points,” said Senator Gillibrand. “Instead of supporting law enforcement officials dedicated to protecting our communities from child predators, cyberattacks, and gun trafficking, the president is stripping away critical resources and putting our national security at risk. These actions make our communities less safe and weaken public safety.”

The senators argue that the decision represents a sharp departure from longstanding federal law enforcement priorities. In their letter, they warned that redirecting agents away from complex criminal investigations has immediate and lasting consequences. “You have pulled agents away from some of the federal government’s most critical criminal investigations, weakening the very work that ensures public safety. In a world in which we must prioritize the use of limited resources, an agent arresting non-violent immigrants necessarily means one less agent available to catch child predators and drug traffickers.. This diversion represents a deliberate choice: a stunning abdication of the basic responsibilities of the executive branch to the American people, and a direct threat to the security of communities across the country.”

While the administration has defended its immigration enforcement strategy as targeting serious criminals, the senators point out that most individuals arrested during recent operations have no criminal history. At the same time, agents across multiple federal agencies have reportedly been pulled off active cases mid-investigation. These cases include work related to child exploitation, drug trafficking networks, sanctions evasion, cyberattacks, domestic extremism, and foreign adversaries.

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Reports cited by the lawmakers indicate that the scale of the reassignments is significant. Nearly one-quarter of agents at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and as many as 80 percent of agents at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have allegedly been diverted to immigration-related duties. The senators said these numbers raise serious questions about how agencies can continue to fulfill their core missions.

Particular concern has been raised about Homeland Security Investigations, widely viewed as one of the federal government’s leading forces in combating child exploitation, human trafficking, fentanyl smuggling, and cartel activity. According to the letter, HSI personnel themselves have warned that the reassignments are dismantling a highly effective operation that plays a central role in both child protection and national security. In some cases, investigators have reportedly attempted to continue their work outside of normal hours, taking files home or working nights and weekends to prevent cases from collapsing.

“Redirecting these investigators to pad deportation statistics is not simply irresponsible—it is a dereliction of duty with life-or-death consequences that puts the safety of our children in jeopardy,” the senators continued. “No modern administration has ever attempted a reallocation of this scale or recklessness.”

Beyond the immediate effects on criminal investigations, the lawmakers also warned of broader national security risks. The letter highlights concerns that cyber defense efforts and protections for critical infrastructure may be compromised. These systems support essential services such as clean water, electricity, and air conditioning, and any lapse in oversight could expose vulnerabilities that adversaries might exploit.

“Taken together, these actions are more than just a routine shift in administration priorities; they represent a systematic dismantling of the very institutions that protect Americans in their homes, online, and in their communities,” the senators wrote. “The fact that the majority of individuals arrested during immigration enforcement operations to date have had no criminal history belies the administration’s claim that it is targeting the “worst of the worst.” Instead, it suggests that federal law enforcement capacity is being sacrificed to fuel a politically orchestrated deportation drive. That tradeoff is indefensible, and it puts Americans at risk to serve a political narrative, not a security strategy.”

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To better understand the scope and impact of the policy, the senators requested detailed information from the administration. Their requests include a full accounting of all personnel diverted to immigration enforcement since January 20, 2025, as well as the duration and nature of those assignments. They also asked for a list of investigations that were paused, terminated, or reassigned due to the diversions, including cases tied to child exploitation, cyber intrusions, human trafficking, drug smuggling, domestic extremism, terrorism financing, and violent crime.

The letter further seeks any threat or risk assessments that informed the administration’s decision, along with copies of formal directives instructing agencies to contribute personnel to immigration enforcement surges. Lawmakers also want to know whether agency leadership or career investigators raised objections internally, and how those concerns were addressed. Finally, they asked for any internal evaluations conducted to measure the impact of the reassignments on public safety and national security investigations.

Senator Gillibrand was joined in signing the letter by a wide group of Democratic senators from across the country, reflecting what they describe as a shared concern over the direction of federal law enforcement policy. The group includes Senators Ruben Gallego, Gary Peters, Dick Durbin, Richard Blumenthal, Chris Coons, Angus King, Ron Wyden, Peter Welch, Mazie Hirono, Ben Ray Luján, Chris Van Hollen, Alex Padilla, Catherine Cortez Masto, Andy Kim, Tim Kaine, Raphael Warnock, Tammy Duckworth, Jeanne Shaheen, Cory Booker, Mark Warner, Angela Alsobrooks, Jacky Rosen, Elissa Slotkin, Martin Heinrich, John Hickenlooper, Mark Kelly, Adam Schiff, Patty Murray, and Michael Bennet.

As the administration faces growing scrutiny, the senators say they are awaiting a full response and warning that continued silence could deepen the risks they believe the policy has already created. For now, they argue, the reassignment of federal agents has left serious questions unanswered about public safety, national security, and the true cost of prioritizing immigration enforcement over long-standing criminal investigations.