This is the second major shakeup of ICE leadership since President Trump returned to office in January, once again amid reported displeasure from within the White House around the numbers of arrests and deportations being carried out by ICE. Trump campaigned on a promise of mass deportations, and despite the administration touting higher numbers of removals, the figures have reportedly not been meeting the president's goals, or those set by his Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Miller confirmed Thursday that ICE had been ordered to triple the number of daily arrests, to around 3,000. Hours later, the shuffle within the agency was announced.
In a news release Thursday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced leadership changes at the department tasked with finding, arresting and removing immigrants who no longer have the right to be in the country as well as at the agency’s investigative division. Kenneth Genalo, who had been the acting director of Enforcement and Removal Operations, is retiring and will serve as a special government employee with ICE. Robert Hammer, who has been the acting head of Homeland Security Investigations, will transition to another leadership role at headquarters. The agency said Marcos Charles will become the new acting head of ERO while Derek Gordon will be the acting head at HSI. ICE also announced a host of other staff changes at various departments within the agency.
The role changes are only part of a "massive realignment" within ICE, the sources told Fox News. ICE and HSI have not responded to requests for comment. Word of the changes comes just days after White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller reportedly lashed out at top immigration officials at a May 21 meeting in ICE headquarters, Axios reported Wednesday. Miller and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reportedly demanded that ICE start arresting 3,000 people per day as part of the illegal immigration and deportation crackdown. This week, ICE officers also launched a nationwide initiative to begin arresting illegal immigrants at their immigration and asylum hearings.