Top ICE officials demoted by Trump for failing to keep up pace of deportations

President Donald Trump and his administration are working overtime to deport as many illegal immigrants as possible, and everyone within the ranks of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expected to perform at the highest levels.

That's why it shouldn't come as a surprise that Trump dropped the demotion hammer on several ICE officials recently after they reportedly failed to keep up with Trump's expectations, according to the New York Post. 

The Washington Post first broke the story, indicating that the officials who were demoted were not keeping pace with ICE deportations.

The ICE officials who were demoted were identified as Russell Hott and Peter Berg.

What's going on?

A DHS spokesperson issued a statement in the wake of the news of the demotions, citing the need for "accountability" within the ranks of ICE, especially as Trump ramps up deportations across the country.

"ICE needs a culture of accountability that it has been starved of for the past four years," the DHS spokesperson said.

They added, "We have a president, DHS secretary, and American people who rightfully demand results, and our ICE leadership will ensure the agency delivers."

Two top ICE officials get demoted for slacking on the job!

Russell Hott and Peter Berg were sent packing to field jobs from ICE's enforcement division amid increasing pressure from the Trump administration to ramp up the number of illegal migrant arrests and deportations. 💥 pic.twitter.com/35NUqXS6GL

— Lucy (@TheLucyShow1) February 12, 2025

The Post noted:

Hott and Berg, who had held top posts in the Enforcement and Removal Operations division, are being forced to return to local field offices in Washington and Minnesota, respectively, the sources said.

The two ICE officials will be replaced by Todd Lyons, the leading official at ICE’s Boston office. He's been a strong advocate for reopening the ICE office at Riker's Island jail.

"Take direct custody"

It's no wonder why Trump likes Lyons -- he's ready to make it as seamless as possible for law enforcement officials to process illegal alien criminals.

"Re-establishing the [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] unit at Rikers would allow [Enforcement and Removal Operations] NYC officers to take direct custody of foreign-born criminal offenders without the need to re-apprehend these criminals at large in the community," Lyons previously said.

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, recently expressed his disdain for the pace of ICE deportations.

"If you look at the rest of interior enforcement, it’s about three times higher than it was a year ago today. Three times higher is good, but I’m not satisfied," Homan recently said.