ICE Strikes Back

The top immigration enforcement agency in the U.S. will become more "empowered" and "emboldened" in Donald Trump's second administration, experts said.

A former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, as well as immigration advocates, said they expect Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to expand. ICE is responsible for enforcing immigration laws, including detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants.

However, some experts disagreed, telling Newsweek that ICE's role won't change significantly.

Newsweek has contacted the incoming administration and ICE via email for comment.

Immigration is at the forefront of Trump's policy agenda, as the former and future president has promised to conduct the largest deportation program in U.S. history.

In Trump's first term, the agency was frequently targeted by progressives and painted as the villain in media narratives. ICE's enforcement activities were heavily scrutinized and its reputation suffered.

Fast-forward to 2025, and the second Trump administration is poised to push ICE back into the spotlight. As part of his agenda, Trump will lay out plans to strengthen and expand its powers.

But what exactly will these changes entail, and how will ICE's role evolve over the next four years?

Expansion Of Powers

Trump's vision for ICE includes an expansion of its powers if mass removals are to be carried out.

Incoming border czar Tom Homan said the administration will need $86 billion from Congress to begin mass deportations. One of the central goals is to enhance ICE's capacity to carry out raids and arrests targeting undocumented immigrants, particularly those with criminal backgrounds.

In practical terms, this would mean ramping up ICE's presence in urban areas.

ICE will serve as the tip of Trump's spear for immigration enforcement policies, a former staffer at DHS said.

Morgan Bailey, who worked for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) for more than a decade, told Newsweek: "Under the new Trump Administration, ICE's role will expand significantly, with a focus on mass deportations, enhanced collaboration with local law enforcement through INA 287(g) agreements, and the establishment of new detention facilities, including in rural areas to increase capacity.

"ICE is expected to become more empowered under the new administration. Plans include lifting restrictions on operations in sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals and places of worship."

Trump is prepared to detain families as a way to discourage migration, marking a return to more contentious policies. Additionally, it plans to expedite arrests and deportations.

Lee Gelernt, a lawyer at the ACLU and lead attorney in the family separations lawsuit against the first Trump administration, told Newsweek he expects ICE to become more "aggressive" in its approach.

"I anticipate an enormous expansion of coordination between ICE and local officials and possibly also the National Guard," Gelernt said. "I think we'll see the National Guard out there. There's also threats about using the military. So I think we are looking at rhetoric that's terrorizing our communities. They're already very scared."

Brad Jones, a professor of political science at the University of California, told Newsweek that ICE will become more "emboldened."

"I don't think ICE's role will change so much, and the reason is that ICE already has a very large capacity and infrastructure to enforce immigration directives such as workplace raids, road stops to check on immigration status, and so forth," Jones said. "In other words, the mechanisms and structure are well in place for ICE to exert broad authority.

"I do think we will see a substantial increase in the use of these kinds of enforcement tools. Additionally, I think that the incoming administration will heavily tout or promote ICE action.

"Under the Biden Administration, ICE enforced immigration directives but was seldom in the headlines, so to speak. Under Trump, this will not be the case."

Homan, who served as ICE's acting director during Trump's first term, has made clear that ICE's role will be highly visible in efforts to apprehend millions of undocumented immigrants.

His tenure at ICE and his public statements made him a polarizing figure, drawing support from those favoring strict immigration policies and criticism from advocates for immigrant rights.

Homan's successor, Ronald Vitiello, who served as acting director of ICE from June 2018 to April 2019, told Newsweek that ICE will receive more resources and support under Trump compared to President Joe Biden.

"They'll be people at the White House, like border czar Tom Homan, the President himself will be supporting them when ICE is successful and advocating for the resources that they need to be successful.

"I'm thrilled for the workforce; you know, they're going to have somebody that knows what they do and wants them to do it well.

"I think there'll be some minor changes, but having the leadership understand what you do and support what you do is huge in the psyche and the morale of it."

Collaboration With Local Law Enforcement

One of the most contentious aspects of ICE's operations is its collaboration with local law enforcement. ICE is expected to increase its partnerships with local police forces in Republican-led states.

Trump has called for potentially deploying the military to work with ICE as part of his mass deportation policy and pledged to enlist federal and state authorities to carry out mass removals.

Local police officers who have been "deputized" are given authority to enforce federal immigration laws. This typically happens through agreements such as the 287(g) program in which local law officials assist with immigration enforcement activities. This partnership could result in more coordinated sweeps and enforcement actions in cities and towns.

Frederick County Sheriff Chuck Jenkins, a Maryland Republican, told Newsweek that ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) will conduct deportations "swiftly and effectively" under Trump.

Jenkins said that under Biden, ICE has been "handcuffed" and ICE agents "feel they've been largely sitting on the sidelines and want to do their jobs to protect Americans."

Immigration advocates issued a warning about Trump's plans to deputize state authorities.

"There are essentially no guardrails on what ICE can do," Jones said. "There is very little I see that will slow ICE down within the Trump administration."

He added that ICE's role will be "augmented" by partnering with local law enforcement.

"We will see a major ramping up of 287g, Secure Communities, and other similar kinds of policy concepts," Jones said. "These kinds of policies forge a very strong link between local sheriffs and ICE officials."

Detention And Deportation Operations

Advocates have warned that ICE will "install fear" in migrant communities.

Experts predict a major overhaul in how ICE handles detention and deportation operations. With plans to add more detention centers and increase cooperation with private contractors, the agency could see a rise in the number of people being detained.

Undocumented immigrants could be removed from the country much quicker under proposed mass deportation policies.

"One way we're going to see it is that previously, something called expedited removal, which are truncated procedures, has only been traditionally used at the border," Gelernt said. "We anticipate that they are going to try and use those procedures for people anywhere in the country."

Expedited removal is a process that allows immigration authorities to remove certain undocumented immigrants from the country without a formal hearing before an immigration judge. It is intended to streamline the removal of individuals who are deemed inadmissible under specific grounds, primarily for lacking proper documentation or for using fraudulent means to enter the country.

"We could see someone picked up in the middle of the country, and if they can't prove they've been here longer than two years, be gone within 48 hours based solely on a supervisor's signature without any due process or hearing," Gelernt said.

ICE's enhanced role will coincide with stricter immigration policies as Trump will likely push for legislative changes to empower the immigration enforcement agency to carry out mass deportations.

Can ICE Send Agents To Sanctuary Cities?

Trump officials have vowed to crack down on Democrats who refuse to cooperate with ICE and have threatened to withhold federal funding from states that do not comply.

During a border visit, Homan warned progressives not to oppose the mass deportation operations: "Don't cross that line," he said.

Vitello argued that sanctuary cities should be punished for not assisting ICE.

"This whole idea of the sanctuary cities and disregarding federal law as it relates to immigration, I think that needs to be taken on," Vitello said.

He called for incentives for the states that cooperate and sanctions for those that don't.

On the other end of the spectrum, advocates are gearing up to protect undocumented immigrants.

"I think there's going to be an enormous battle between the cities that they view as sanctuary cities and the federal government. And I think it's going to play out in court, and it's going to play out politically," Gelernt said.

"They're going to go after sanctuary cities very hard and try to take away funding and also use other leverage points. And I suspect that many cities will fight back very hard, and this will end up in the courts."

Trump has said he has a powerful mandate to enact mass deportations following his election win.

"When the American public was asked that question, it was such an abstract notion that I'm not sure that when it comes down to it and they see what it looks like in practice, the American public will be all for it," Gelernt said.

"If they see ICE going after families that have been here 20 years, who don't have a criminal conviction, have U.S. citizen children, and have been contributing to society, I think that there's going to be a pushback by the American public when they see what that looks like."

With Trump's return to power, the agency will become a constant fixture in the public sphere. ICE will remain a source of deep polarization—celebrated by some as an essential tool for upholding the rule of law and vilified by others as a symbol of draconian immigration policies.

"I think they're going to become much more pervasive in American society," Gelernt said.