Fentanyl seizures drop as HSI shifts focus to immigration

A report from the DHS Office of Inspector General reveals that fentanyl seizures decreased by 39% during the first year of the second Trump administration. This decline follows a significant shift in resources within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), specifically its criminal investigations arm, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

According to the watchdog report, staffing hours dedicated to fentanyl investigations for fiscal 2025 fell by more than 250,000 hours, or 31%, compared to fiscal 2024. Conversely, immigration enforcement investigations saw a massive increase of over 1.7 million hours, representing a rise of more than 800%.

Investigators interviewed over 100 agents across 11 HSI field offices. In one instance, nearly 99% of an office's workload was dedicated to immigration, leaving almost no capacity for drug investigations. In another case, a drug investigation team was reduced from seven agents to three as personnel were reassigned to immigration cases. The Inspector General has recommended that HSI review staffing levels to ensure coverage is commensurate with the priority of fentanyl investigations.