ICE expands power of US agents to arrest people without warrants amid Trump's immigration crackdown: Report
ICE expands power of US agents: The change reportedly expands the ability of lower-level ICE agents to carry out sweeps rounding up people they encounter and suspect are undocumented immigrants.
US agents were told this week that they have broader power to arrest people without a warrant, the New York Times reported on Friday, citing an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement memo.
The change reportedly expands the ability of lower-level ICE agents to carry out sweeps rounding up people they encounter and suspect are undocumented immigrants, rather than targeted enforcement operations in which they set out, warrant in hand, to arrest a specific person.
The shift comes as the Trump administration has deployed thousands of masked immigration agents into cities nationwide.
US President Donald Trump's border chief had said on January 29, 2026 that some federal agents could be withdrawn from Minneapolis, the northern US city that has become the flashpoint for the president's immigration crackdown, news agency AFP reported.
The Trump administration, facing a public backlash over the shooting deaths of two Americans by federal agents in Minneapolis, also eased immigration operations in the northeastern state of Maine, the report added.
Minneapolis crackdown
Tensions rose over the administration’s immigration crackdown in Minnesota, where the recent shootings — of Alex Pretti and Renee Good — sparked intense clashes between residents and federal officers, as well as widespread protests.
Under a national immigration crackdown, President Trump has sent 3,000 federal officers to the Minneapolis area who are patrolling the streets in tactical gear, a force five times the size of the Minneapolis Police Department.
Trump's U-turn
On January 28, Trump told reporters, “We’re going to de-escalate a little bit," trying to calm a mounting crisis after federal agents shot and killed two US citizens in less than a month.
However, days later, Trump signalled that his administration would not pull back immigration enforcement efforts in Minnesota — “not at all.”
“We keep our country safe. We’ll do whatever we can to keep our country safe,” Trump said ahead of the “Melania” film premiere at the Kennedy Center, responding to a reporter’s question about whether he would pull agents out of Minnesota, The Hill reported.
“So, you’re not pulling back?” the reporter asked again. “No, no. Not at all,” Trump replied.
Meanwhile, border czar Tom Homan, who was sent to replace US Border Patrol commander-at-large Greg Bovino on the ground, said that Trump wanted to “fix” operations in the state.
“I do not want to hear that everything that has been done here has been perfect. Nothing is ever perfect. Anything can be improved on,” Homan was quoted as saying on Thursday.
He reportedly said, “What we’ve been working on is making this operation safer, more efficient, by the book.”
“The mission is going to improve because of changes we’re making internally,” he continued. “No agency organization is perfect. President Trump and I, along with others in the administration, have recognized that certain improvements could and should be made,” he added.