The ICE official leading the branch in charge of arrests and deportations is reportedly set to leave his post as the Trump administration seeks to drastically increase law enforcement operations, CBS News reported on Thursday.
The official in question is Kenneth Genalo, who leads the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), the outlet added. He will be retiring.
Moreover, Robert Hammer will stop being the head of ICE's Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and is set the be reassigned to another post within the agency. The outlet noted that HSI has historically focused on fighting transnational crime but many agents have been reassigned to focus on deportation efforts.
It is unclear who will replace both agents, but the development comes as top Trump adviser Stephen Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem directed ICE to carry out 3,000 arrests per day.
The push reportedly took place during a tense meeting on May 21 the ICE headquarters in Washington, D.C., where Miller told field office directors and agents to significantly raise arrest and deportation figures. According to multiple sources cited by the outlet, Miller's tone left some attendees fearing their jobs could be at risk if they failed to meet the target. A little over a week later, the two officials are set to leave their posts.
Noem, while less confrontational, echoed support for expanding enforcement and sought feedback from ICE leadership.
The push for more arrests within the country follows a sharp decline in border crossings—down to 7,181 in March 2025, compared to over 137,000 a year earlier—and is part of a broader strategy to shift enforcement to the interior.
In parallel, the Trump administration increased the pace of deportations by 50% in April compared to February, the latest month for which there is data available, NBC News reported.
Concretely, Immigration and Customs Enforcement deported over 17,200 in the period, a 50% increased compared to February and 29% more than April of last year. It is the first time in which the Trump administration deports more people than Biden did in 2024.
The outlet noted that the pace is still much lower than what President Donald Trump promised during his campaign and at the beginning of his presidency, when he vowed to remove "millions and millions" of people from the country.
The current pace would clock in at 206,400 deportations a year. Should the figure continue during the rest of his term, the final figure would be less than a million. However, the deportations are largely taking place away from the border, as unlawful crossings have plummeted since Trump took office.
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