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Jayapal blasts DHS for diverting FBI, DEA agents to immigration crackdown
She criticized the Trump administration for diverting federal law enforcement resources toward immigration enforcement, calling it a threat to civil systems and community safety.
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Anushka Pathak - Mon, 03, Nov 2025
- 12:59 EST
- 23
Rep. Pramila Jayapal / Courtesy: @RepJayapal via ‘X’
Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal has accused the Trump administration of turning the U.S. immigration system into a “massive criminal justice system,” claiming that its enforcement-heavy approach is “militarizing communities” and undermining national security priorities.
In a video shared on X, she warned that under Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, thousands of federal officers are being reassigned from key security agencies to immigration enforcement.
“The immigration system is a civil system, not a criminal one. But this administration isn’t treating it that way, and they’re militarizing our communities and terrorizing people of all statuses in the process,” she said.
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The immigration system is a civil system, not a criminal one. But this administration isn’t treating it that way, and they’re militarizing our communities and terrorizing people of all statuses in the process. pic.twitter.com/TF4I7fNRy1
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) November 3, 2025
Jayapal, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee and previously chaired the Congressional Progressive Caucus, traced Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) back to its formation in 2003 after the 9/11 attacks.
Originally tasked with tackling human trafficking, drug smuggling, and intellectual property violations, ICE’s role, she said, has since expanded far beyond its intended scope.
Citing recent agency data, Jayapal claimed that Secretary Noem has reassigned over 25,000 federal officers from agencies such as the FBI, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to immigration duties—often without specialized training. “This is diverting resources from national security, counterterrorism, public safety, and crime-fighting,” she said in the video.
According to figures cited, nearly 20 percent of FBI agents, 90 percent of ATF personnel, and two-thirds of DEA staff are now engaged in immigration-related operations.
Jayapal tied this surge to the Republican-led “Big Bad Betrayal Bill,” a 2025 budget measure that allocated $42 billion to immigrant detention—exceeding the federal prison budget—and expanded contracts with private firms such as GEO Group.
She reiterated that unlawful presence in the U.S. remains a civil violation, not a criminal one. “All our listeners understand that it is a civil system,” Jayapal noted, arguing that the administration’s mass deportations and raids equate immigration infractions with serious crimes.
Right, and since non of your newly imported electorate came in legally— it went from civil to criminal. So, what happens when you break a law, jayapal? Outside of your blue cities, the rest of us normal folks, want to see criminals prosecuted in America.
— Liberacrat️ (@Liberacrat) November 3, 2025
Released on Election Day 2025, the video reignited debate over immigration policy and resource allocation. Responses to Jayapal’s X post were divided, with critics framing the measures as necessary for border control and supporters echoing her concerns over excessive enforcement.
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