Washington, D.C. (February 4, 2025)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, and Rep. Lucy McBath, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Crime and Federal Government Surveillance are demanding answers from Acting Attorney General James R. McHenry III regarding Trump Administrationdirectivesthat remove law enforcement officials from critical crime prevention, counterterrorism and drug interdiction missions, and task them instead with arresting and detaining undocumented immigrants who pose no threat to public safety.
“Previous Republican and Democratic administrations have rightly prioritized true public safety threats for apprehension and removal. Unfortunately, this administration has made it clear that it sees all immigrants as criminals and priorities for removal, making no distinction between an undocumented mother with no criminal record, and a convicted murderer. The mission of the Department of Justice (DOJ) is to keep the American people safe from a wide range of criminal threats. […] Diverting critical resources away from these efforts will endanger American lives by allowing criminals to roam free on our streets, increasing the risk of drug trafficking, and leaving us vulnerable to terrorist attacks,” wrote the Ranking Members.
On January 21, 2025, Acting Attorney General McHenry issued a memorandum from the Department of Justice (DOJ) diverting the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), and the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces away from their critical national security and public safety missions to instead prioritize arresting all undocumented immigrants, without regard to whether this reallocation will protect the American people from crimes like drug trafficking, gang violence, and terrorism.
OCDETF is the largest anti-crime task force in the country. Removing prosecutors and federal agents from this work would allow cartels to bring more fentanyl and other dangerous drugs into our country, risking more lives to be lost to drug overdose.
PSN coordinates federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials; prosecutors; and local leaders to identify and address the most pressing violent crime. Redirecting these efforts would allow violent criminals, whose arrest and prosecution were previously considered top priority, to commit additional violent crimes in our communities.
The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces operate as our first line of defense against international and domestic terrorism. Redirecting these task forces away from this work would leave us more vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
Compounding these risks to public safety, the Department of Homeland Security issued a memorandum on January 22, 2025 granting immigration officer authorities to employees of the DOJ, including the Federal Bureau ofInvestigation (FBI), DrugEnforcement Administration (DEA) and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). In so doing, the Trump Administration made clear its priority to round up undocumented immigrants who pose no threat to public safety, rather than the important work American taxpayers are paying them to do to reduce the availability of deadly illegal drugs, combat illegal gun trafficking, arrest violent criminals, and ensure the safety of our courts and prisons.
Given that DOJ has made clear that the recent reassignments and raids are just the beginning, the Ranking Members requested information to understand how the Trump Administration’s actions could undermine law enforcement, increase violent crime, threaten our national security, and enable the proliferation of illegal drugs and illegal guns in our communities.
