Fentanyl seizures plummeted as Trump administration shifted focus to immigration

A DHS Inspector General report found fentanyl seizures dropped 39% during the first year of the second Trump administration after Homeland Security Investigations redirected its criminal agents toward immigration enforcement. Fentanyl investigation hours fell more than 250,000, or 31%, compared to the prior fiscal year, while immigration enforcement hours rose over 1.7 million — more than 800%.

Investigators found one HSI office devoting 99% of its work to immigration, leaving almost no capacity for drug cases; a seven-agent fentanyl team there was cut to three. The report also flagged funding delays, limited independent authority to investigate fentanyl offenses, and inconsistent case referrals from Customs and Border Protection.

ICE agreed with the inspector general's recommendation to review staffing levels, with a completion estimate of June 2027 — more than two years after the shift began.

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