Officials staffing the U.S. legal immigration system have been asked to volunteer to help Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, according to an internal notice obtained by CBS News, another sign the Trump administration is prioritizing deportation efforts.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) employees were asked this week to sign up for 60-day assignments — or what the government calls “details” — to assist ICE, the agency charged with carrying out President Trump’s mass deportation promise.
The assignments, which could be extended beyond 60 days, are slated to start on March 10 and are planned for different states, according to the internal request sent by Kika Scott, who is leading USCIS in an acting capacity. Two officials at the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS and ICE, confirmed the authenticity of the email to CBS News.
“Leadership should make every effort to support participation and approve details unless the employee’s absence will have an extreme negative effect on mission accomplishment, including supporting other critical department priorities,” the email to USCIS staff said.
USCIS employees administer the nation’s legal immigration system and review applications for a wide-ranging group of benefits, from requests for U.S. citizenship and permanent residency to work permit and asylum cases.