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The most dangerous threats CBP agents face as Trump increases enforcement

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As President Donald Trump steps up border security and deportation efforts, agents with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are finding themselves under alarmingly sophisticated threats to their safety, an expert tells Fox News Digital.

“The cartels are losing business. The encounters at the border are the lowest they’ve been in decades, and the cartels are not just going to give up that business quietly,” Lora Ries, director of the Heritage Foundation’s Border Security and Immigration Center, told Fox News Digital.

The comments come after it was reported over the weekend that CBP agents will no longer wear body cameras during field operations, a response to a post on Reddit that claimed it could help people track agents wearing the cameras with an application called BLE Radar, which uses Bluetooth to scan for such devices within a 100-yard radius.

BORDER PATROL AGENTS TO STOP WEARING BODY CAMERAS AFTER SOCIAL MEDIA POST REVEALS ‘SECURITY RISK’

This split shows President Trump and Border Patrol. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images and Rebecca Noble/Getty Images)

“Pending completion of investigation and risk mitigation, all Agents will stand down the use of their BWCs [body worn cameras] until further notice. Additional guidance and information will be disseminated as it is received,” a directive over the weekend announced.

While the tracking of agents was presented as a way to help immigrants find soft spots on the border, it also opened up agents to threats to their safety, including from improvised explosive devices.

Cartels could also make use of the tracking information to threaten the lives of agents, Ries noted.

“It is possible that they could use the cameras… the low-level frequency interception to track the agents, harm the agents, and attack the agents,” Ries said.

Ries also noted that the cameras played an important role in protecting field agents from false claims of abuse, providing key evidence they now won’t have after encounters with migrants.

DAILY AVERAGE OF KNOWN GOTAWAYS AT SOUTHERN BORDER PLUMMETS, DOWN 93% FROM BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HIGHS

An ICE agent monitors hundreds of asylum seekers being processed upon entering the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on June 6, 2023, in New York City. (David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

“I anticipate the number of claims of abuse are about to jump to exploit this lack of camera use,” Ries said.

When it comes to cartels, Ries noted that there have been warnings sent out that cartels could use shooters on the other side of the border to target agents.

“I just saw a memo about potentially using a shooter on the Mexican side to shoot at our agents and our military, so we have to assume that’s being planned and use countermeasures against it,” Ries said.

Ries also noted that cartels have in the past effectively used drones to track CBP agents, though that threat could now be lower with the increased military presence at the border.

Aside from the threats from cartels, CBP and ICE agents also face dangers from inside the borders of the U.S., Ries noted, pointing to leaks of ICE raids as an example of something that has recently endangered agents.

A U.S. Border Patrol agent stands on a cliff looking for migrants crossing the border wall near Sasabe, Arizona. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“That subjects ICE agents to an ambush,” Ries said. “It’s one thing for aliens to flee, so when ICE shows up there’s no one there… worse would be if aliens stay here and attack ICE agents, that is a risk.”

Such leaks of planned operations and technological vulnerabilities could continue to be a threat to the safety of agents as those opposed to Trump’s enforcement-driven agenda seek to undermine those plans, Ries said.

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Countering such threats will not only take awareness and smart tactics during operations, but also help from Congress in order to secure funding to equip agents with enough resources to combat the dangers.

“It’s technology, it’s equipment, it’s intel, and personnel… they can’t be out patrolling alone, they need to work together,” Ries said. “Congress is working, although too slowly, getting resources to CBP and ICE to continue to carry out these mass deportations. Congress needs to hurry up.”

February 18, 2025
Border Patrol agents to stop wearing body cameras amid new ‘security threats’

Agents with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will no longer wear body cameras during field operations after a social media post publicized how to identify individual agents.

“All U.S. Border Patrol Agents will cease the use of body-worn cameras (BWC) in all operational environments,” CBP said in a statement to NewsNation, which originally reported the news.

The directive comes after a post on Reddit claimed that the mobile application BLE Radar, which uses Bluetooth to scan for low-energy devices such as phones, smartwatches and speakers, can also track CBP body cameras from a distance of 100 yards and can also trigger improvised explosive devices.

FRUSTRATED CHICAGOANS BACK ICE DEPORTATIONS, APPLAUD DOJ LAWSUIT TARGETING SANCTUARY POLICIES

A Border Patrol agent stands on a cliff looking for migrants that crossed the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico near the city of Sasabe, Arizona. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

CBP officials sent out a directive following the post informing agents of a “potential security risk” while immediately pulling body cameras from use in the field.

“Pending completion of investigation and risk mitigation, all Agents will stand down the use of their BWCs [body worn cameras] until further notice. Additional guidance and information will be disseminated as it is received,” the directive said.

Sources told NewsNation that the cameras used by CBP agents are Avon body cams, which the social media post claims are devices BLE Radar, which was developed by F-Droid, can detect.

Border Patrol agents rescue a migrant child abandoned by smugglers. (U.S. Border Patrol)

DAILY AVERAGE OF KNOWN GOTAWAYS AT SOUTHERN BORDER PLUMMETS, DOWN 93% FROM BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HIGHS

The directive comes as both CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have ramped up enforcement efforts in the weeks since President Donald Trump took office, an effort that was a cornerstone of the president’s campaign to return to the White House.

Since the beginning of February, the daily average of gotaways, or illegal immigrants who successfully enter the U.S. without being apprehended, at the southern border has fallen to just 132 per day, a 93% drop from highs seen under former President Joe Biden, a senior Department of Homeland Security source told Fox News.

President Donald J Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office at the White House on Jan 31, 2025. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Data obtained by Fox News showed that during FY 2023, 670,674 known gotaways were recorded by the agency, or more than 1,800 per day.

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CBP did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.

Fox News’ Bill Melugin and Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Michael Lee is a writer for Fox News. Prior to joining Fox News, Michael worked for the Washington Examiner, Bongino.com, and Unbiased America. He has covered politics for more than eight years.

February 16, 2025
Adams vows to let ICE agents work at Rikers Island after meeting with border czar

New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday said a plan was being worked on to allow federal immigration authorities to operate on Rikers Island following a meeting with border czar Tom Homan, a significant step given the city’s sanctuary policies.

Adams met with Homan during a closed-door meeting. In a statement, he said an executive order was being worked on to “reestablish the ability for ICE agents to operate on Rikers Island — as was the case for 20 years.”

“But now, instead, ICE agents would specifically be focused on assisting the correctional intelligence bureau in their criminal investigations, in particular those focused on violent criminals and gangs,” he added.

TOM HOMAN BELIEVES ICE RAID LEAKS ARE ‘COMING FROM INSIDE’ AS AURORA LEAKER CLOSER TO BEING IDENTIFIED

The Rikers Island jail complex is seen with the Manhattan skyline in the background on June 20, 2014. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)

Adams said the pair discussed how to combat violent migrant gangs and embedding more New York Police Department officers into federal task forces.

Unlike many blue city mayors, Adams has expressed interest in working with the Trump administration to crack down on illegal immigration in an effort to combat crime.

He noted that New York shouldered a larger number of migrants transported to blue cities from the southern border.

“New York City has been forced to shoulder the burden of a national humanitarian crisis where more than 230,000 migrants have come to our city seeking support, at a cost of approximately $7 billion, with little help from the previous administration,” Adams said.

AG PAM BONDI VOWS TO ‘FIGHT BACK’ AGAINST JUDGES BLOCKING TRUMP’S ANTI-CORRUPTION AGENDA

Border czar Tom Homan, left, met with New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday to discuss the city’s ongoing migrant crisis. (Getty Images)

“That is why I have been clear that I want to work with the new federal administration, not war with them, to find common ground and make better the lives of New Yorkers,” he added.

The meeting came days after the Justice Department ordered federal prosecutors to drop a bribery case against Adams.

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sent a letter to the acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (SDNY) on Monday, instructing the SDNY to drop the federal case against Adams and dismiss it without prejudice.

NYC Mayor Eric Adams sits down for an interview with Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum. (Fox News / The Story)

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In response, Acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon resigned on Thursday in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has taken a hard stance against sanctuary cities. On Wednesday, Bondi put New York and other cities on notice.

“This is a new DOJ,” she told reporters while announcing a lawsuit against New York state and government officials. “New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today.”

February 14, 2025
Alex Bregman leads list of MLB free agents still available as pitchers and catchers report to spring training

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Pitchers and catchers are in Florida and Arizona to gear up for the marathon that is the baseball season.

Spring training is officially underway after a wild offseason that saw over $3.3 billion in contracts signed.

However, there are still some players with All-Star resumes who do not know where they will be on March 27 when the season starts.

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Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, #2, celebrates after hitting a home run during the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. (Troy Taormina-Imagn Images)

Here are the top six available free agents who are still on the market with just over six weeks until Opening Day.

Alex Bregman

One of the more consistent players in baseball is a free agent for the first time, and it has not exactly been the ideal offseason for the two-time All-Star.

Alex Bregman just won his first Gold Glove Award with the Houston Astros in 2024, and since 2021, he is slashing .262/.350/.444.

It was reported that Bregman was offered a six-year, $156 million deal to return to the Astros, but he declined. His name has circulated around several rumors, but the Scott Boras issues continue this side of Juan Soto.

While Bregman may not be his MVP-candidate self anymore (he led the majors with an 8.9 WAR in 2019), his bat-to-ball skills are still elite, and as the Gold Glove Award states, so is his defense.

Alex Bregman, #2 of the Houston Astros, waves to fans prior to playing the Detroit Tigers in Game One of the Wild Card Series at Minute Maid Park on Oct. 1, 2024 in Houston. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

Jose Iglesias

Jose Iglesias, 35, had a career resurgence upon releasing the hit song “OMG” that became the rallying cry for the New York Mets.

After not playing in the 2023 season, Iglesias was scooped by the Mets midseason and was more than what anyone had expected. The sure-handed infielder hit .337 and racked up a career-high 3.1 WAR despite playing just 85 games.

His veteran leadership surely played a role in Queens throughout 2024, and if anyone needs a post-game concert, Iglesias will not cost anything extra.

Jose Quintana

To stick with the Mets, Jose Quintana is coming off a 170-inning season, his most in five years. The lefty posted a 3.75 ERA and could very well be a solid middle-of-the-rotation guy for some teams out there.

The 2025 season would be Quintana’s 14th, and while no team should expect him to make the All-Star Game for the first time since 2016, pitching comes at a premium in the big leagues.

At age 36, the Colombia native could be a cheap short-term option.

New York Mets pitcher Jose Quintana, #62, throws a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game four of the NLCS for the 2024 MLB playoffs at Citi Field. (Brad Penner-Imagn Images)

Nick Pivetta

One thing that all teams yearn for is a swing-and-miss arm, which is exactly what Nick Pivetta is. He ranked in the 88th percentile in whiff rate last season, while his 2.2 BB/9 was the best mark of his career.

YANKEES MANAGER TAKES SHOT AT DODGERS, ALLEGES LACK OF ‘CLASS’ WITH WORLD SERIES TITLE TALK

Sure, Pivetta’s career ERA of 4.76 is not ideal, but he has pitched to a 4.09 in the last two years with the Boston Red Sox, and his metrics showed he pitched into some bad luck, as well.

He does get hit hard, but if a team can tap into that strikeout potential, he could be a weapon. Pivetta also turns 32 on Thursday, so it is a young arm to take a chance on.

David Robertson

David Robertson just wrapped up his 16th MLB season but seems to be a bit of an ageless wonder. This past season with the Texas Rangers, he pitched to a 3.00 ERA, which is par for the course throughout his career.

He will turn 40 on April 9, but he knows how to get the job done and has shown no signs of slowing down. His 12.4 K/9 was his best since 2017, as well.

In a game built on bullpens, Robertson’s services would be more than welcome.

Alex Verdugo

Alex Verdugo’s bat had a down season with the New York Yankees in 2024, but in his lone season patrolling the outfield in the Bronx, he looked more than comfortable and was a Gold Glove finalist.

Alex Verdugo, #24 of the New York Yankees, celebrates after hitting an RBI single against the Kansas City Royals during the seventh inning in Game One of the Division Series at Yankee Stadium on Oct. 5, 2024 in New York City. (Elsa/Getty Images)

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From 2019 to 2022, Verdugo hit .289 with a .778 OPS; his numbers deteriorated in his final year in Boston amid rumors of tension between himself and the team, and perhaps he felt the pressure of playing in a contract year in 2024.

However, Verdugo can play all three outfield positions very well and is another guy who can put the bat on the ball when you need him to.

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February 12, 2025
Who is Norm Eisen? Meet the anti-Trump attorney repping FBI agents suing the DOJ

One of the attorneys representing anonymous FBI agents suing the Department of Justice to block the public identification of agents who investigated Jan. 6 is a longtime anti-Trump lawyer who worked with House Democrats on President Donald Trump’s first impeachment.

Norm Eisen is an attorney, CNN legal analyst and expert at the Brookings Institution public policy think tank who previously served as the U.S.’ ambassador to the Czech Republic and special counsel for ethics and government reform under the Obama administration, when he earned the nicknames “Dr. No” and “The Fun Sponge” for reportedly ensuring the administration abide by ethics rules.

Eisen appeared in court on Thursday for a hearing before U.S. District Judge Jia M. Cobb involving a pair of lawsuits filed by two groups of FBI agents who investigated the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol Building as well as former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations and cases against Trump.

Eisen serves as executive chair of State Democracy Defenders Fund, which filed a lawsuit Tuesday on behalf of the FBI agents who investigated Trump-related cases. State Democracy Defenders Fund is a nonprofit that bills itself as focused on defeating “election sabotage” and “autocracy in 2025 — and beyond.”

FBI AGENTS SUE TRUMP DOJ TO BLOCK ANY PUBLIC IDENTIFICATION OF EMPLOYEES WHO WORKED ON JAN. 6 INVESTIGATIONS

Norm Eisen is an attorney, CNN legal analyst and expert at the Brookings Institution public policy think tank who previously served as the U.S.’ ambassador to the Czech Republic. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

“Credible reports indicate the FBI has been directed to systematically terminate all Bureau employees who had any involvement in investigations related to President Trump, and that Trump’s allies in the DOJ are planning to publicly disseminate the names of those employees they plan to terminate,” State Democracy Defenders Fund wrote in its press release of the emergency order to block the public release of FBI personnel names involved in the Jan. 6 investigation.

Fox News Digital took a look back on Eisen’s rhetoric and actions across the past few years and found that he has repeatedly been at the forefront of the legal cases against Trump, notably serving as co-counsel for the House Judiciary Committee during the first impeachment of Trump beginning in 2019.

FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION

House Democrats tapped Eisen — who early in his career specialized in financial fraud litigation and investigations — to help lead the first impeachment against the 45th president, which accused Trump of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress related to allegedly seeking foreign interference from Ukraine to boost his re-election efforts in 2020. The House adopted two articles of impeachment against Trump, but the Senate ultimately voted to acquit him.

Norm Eisen served as special counsel for ethics and government reform under the administration of former President Barack Obama. (Melina Mara/Getty Images)

Eisen revealed following the impeachment effort that he initially drafted 10 articles of impeachment against Trump, not just two, which would have included issues such as “hush money” payments to former porn star Stormy Daniels. Although the payments were not included in the impeachment articles, they were a focal point of the Manhattan v. Trump trial that found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in May 2024.

FBI AGENTS DETAIL J6 ROLE IN EXHAUSTIVE QUESTIONNAIRE EMPLOYEES ‘WERE INSTRUCTED TO FILL OUT’

“This was only the third impeachment trial of a president in American history, so it’s remarkable that we even got those two,” Eisen said in an NPR interview in 2020. “I will tell you that those two articles are a microcosm of all 10 of the impeachment articles that we drafted. They have features of all 10.”

Eisen told Fox News Digital, when asked about his history of anti-Trump cases, that he was initially open to working with the first Trump administration, but that the president, “turned against the Constitution.”

“I was initially open to Trump and even advised his first presidential transition,” Eisen told Fox Digital in an emailed comment on Friday. “But he turned against the Constitution and laws.”

“In his first administration and now, he was and is using the presidency to break the law and to help himself and his cronies like Elon Musk — not the American people,” he continued. “To ensure the integrity of our democracy, I am pushing back through the bipartisan institutions I work with such as State Democracy Defenders Fund, which has strong conservative representation on our board.”

Fox News Digital took a look back on Norm Eisen’s rhetoric and actions across the past few years and found that he has repeatedly been at the forefront of the legal cases against President Donald Trump, pictured here. (Getty Images)

Eisen is the co-founder of the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which made waves in 2023 and 2024 when it helped to initiate a Colorado court case to remove Trump from the primary ballot in the state, The New York Times reported.

The lawsuit, which ultimately landed in the Supreme Court, argued that Trump should be deemed ineligible from holding political office under a Civil War-era insurrection clause and that his name should thus be barred from appearing on the 2024 ballot. The group said that Trump’s actions on Jan. 6, 2021, when supporters breached the U.S. Capitol, violated a clause in the 14th Amendment that prevents officers of the United States, members of Congress or state legislatures who “engaged in insurrection or rebellion” against the Constitution from holding political office.

Other states made similar legal claims to remove Trump, but each of the nine Supreme Court justices ruled in Trump’s favor in a decision released last March, ending the Colorado case and all others that were similar.

DOJ DIRECTS FBI TO FIRE 8 TOP OFFICIALS, IDENTIFY EMPLOYEES INVOLVED IN JAN. 6, HAMAS CASES FOR REVIEW

The State Democracy Defenders Action, co-founded by Norm Eisen, center, has been involved with other Trump-involved court cases, including in the Manhattan v. Trump case. (Getty Images)

The State Democracy Defenders Action, which Eisen co-founded, has also been involved with other Trump-involved court cases, including in the Manhattan v. Trump case. The group helped file an amicus brief in February, advocating that presiding Judge Juan Merchan sentence Trump just days ahead of his inauguration. Trump was ultimately sentenced to unconditional discharge, meaning he faces no fines or jail time.

Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the Manhattan case in May 2024. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office worked to prove that Trump had falsified business records to conceal a $130,000 payment to former porn star, Stormy Daniels, ahead of the 2016 election to quiet her claims of an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.

Eisen also founded another group, the States United Democracy Center, which filed an amicus brief in 2024 in Fulton County, Georgia, court, advocating that District Attorney Fani Willis’ racketeering case against Trump not be dismissed.

ANTI-TRUMP FBI AGENT RESPONSIBLE FOR OPENING JACK SMITH ELECTOR CASE AGAINST PRESIDENT: WHISTLEBLOWER

The Georgia Court of Appeals ruled in December 2024 that Willis and her office are barred from prosecuting the case. The case worked to prove that Trump had led a “criminal racketeering enterprise” to change the outcome of the 2020 election in Georgia. Trump has maintained his innocence in that case, as well as the other federal and state charges brought against him between the 2020 and 2024 election, slamming them as Democrat lawfare.

Eisen, in his capacity as executive chair and founder of State Democracy Defenders Fund, also sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking Committee Member Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. on Monday to speak out against Kash Patel’s nomination as director of the FBI under the second Trump administration. Eisen said he had ethics concerns surrounding Patel’s previous work in Qatar.

President Donald Trump was found guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records in the Manhattan case in May 2024. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

MAJOR FBI CHANGES KASH PATEL COULD MAKE ON DAY 1 IF CONFIRMED AS DIRECTOR

The FBI lawsuits followed acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove sending a memo to acting FBI Director Brian Driscoll in late January, directing him to fire eight FBI employees who worked on the Jan. 6 investigation, as well as a terror case related to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack against Israel. The memo also informed the acting director to identify all current and former FBI personnel who took part in the case.

Democratic counsel Norm Eisen speaks with Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y. (Getty Images)

The memo’s directive to identify those involved in the case sparked the two FBI lawsuits filed Tuesday, which seek to stop the collection of names and their public release.

“The individuals being targeted have served in law enforcement for decades, often putting their lives on the line for the citizens of this country,” Eisen said in a statement provided in State Democracy Defenders Fund’s press release announcing it filed an emergency order on behalf of the FBI agents. “Their rights and privacy must be preserved.”

The judge temporarily barred the Trump DOJ on Thursday from disclosing information on the agents until she hears arguments and determines whether to issue a temporary restraining order.

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Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.

February 8, 2025
FBI agents’ association ‘optimistic’ about AG Bondi despite early controversy with Trump administration

FIRST ON FOX: The head of the FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) is cautiously optimistic that newly minted U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi will steady the ship at the Department of Justice (DOJ) after turbulent weeks since President Donald Trump took office.

FBIAA president and CEO Nicole Campa told Fox News Digital in an interview this week that she is eager to see if Bondi will make good on her pledge to end political weaponization at the FBI and the Justice Department.

This new leadership could reduce some of the heat agents have felt in recent weeks, she said, citing firings and forced departures of some personnel – as well as a questionnaire requiring agents to detail their roles in the Jan. 6 investigation.

Campa pointed specifically to Bondi’s vows to not go after Trump opponents or chase down any so-called “enemies lists,” two promises Bondi cited repeatedly last month during her confirmation hearing.

BONDI SWORN IN AS ATTORNEY GENERAL WITH MISSION TO END ‘WEAPONIZATION’ OF JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

Pam Bondi, President Donald Trump’s attorney general nominee, listens during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on Wednesday, Jan 15, 2025. (Jabin Botsford/Washington Post/ Getty)

“I’m optimistic about her statements moving forward, in that she has stated that people would not be targeted for simply doing their job,” Campa said. “So I think we are optimistic in moving forward.”

Even so, she added, “there are still real concerns about compiling lists when looking at this stuff and being able to potentially release agents’ names.”

FBIAA, a voluntary professional association, represents more than 14,000 active and retired FBI special agents. The agency joined nine anonymous FBI employees earlier this week in suing the Justice Department to block access to records of agents involved in the Jan. 6 investigation, citing fears of internal punishment or retaliation, as well as threats to the agents or the agents’ families should their names be made public.

The judge in the case, U.S. Judge Jia Cobb, is expected to rule on their request for emergency injunctive relief early Friday afternoon.

DEMS DELAY PATEL COMMITTEE VOTE, DERIDE TRUMP FBI PICK AS DANGER TO US SECURITY

The FBI’s interactions with the Council for American-Islamic Relations was restricted due to allegations from the DOJ. (Getty Images)

The interview comes as rank-and-file DOJ and FBI employees have been roiled by recent firings at DOJ, forced resignations or retirements of FBI personnel and a detailed questionnaire sent to thousands of FBI agents asking them to detail their involvement in the Jan. 6 investigations.

Justice Department acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove attempted to assuage FBI agents’ fears. He stressed in a recent email that the effort was simply to obtain and review what role agents played in the Jan. 6 investigation, and was not intended to be a precursor to a mass expulsion of employees.

The lawsuit filed this week emphasized their intent to ensure their identities were not released to the public and that they were not retaliated against for doing their jobs.

FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION

Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove, a former Trump attorney, directed the FBI acting director to fire seven specific employees by Monday. (Angela Weiss – Pool/Getty Images)

Campa underscored these deep-running concerns to Fox News, noting that FBI employees and the agent association “didn’t have much clarification on what that list was going to be utilized for, besides a broad statement of just personnel actions,” when the DOJ issued its request.

“So it raised a lot of concern within the bureau – mainly because we have seen over the past few weeks the associate U.S. attorneys on the investigation be terminated, and then our seventh floor leadership be presented with ultimatums to either retire or be terminated.”

Other former department officials cited similar concerns in recent days, expressing fear that any mass purge of employees could compromise decades of agency experience across the bureau’s more than 52 field offices, who have deep knowledge of complex issue areas ranging from counterterrorism and violent crime to drug trafficking, cartel activity and more.

“It takes a really long time to get an agent hired and through the process,” Campa told Fox News Digital, citing the lengthy background check and clearance process, as well as training at Quantico, Virginia.

“We can’t just pick somebody up off the street tomorrow and make them an FBI agent,” she said. “So when we lose FBI agents – whether it be through retirement or some sort of ‘mass purge,’ to use a term that’s been thrown around in the media, it will take years and years and years, if not decades, to replace that experience.”

“That’s scary for everyone at the bureau because we need to be able to have those people standing next to us to be able to get this work done.”

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Campa said the “best case scenario” is that the identities of the FBI agents are kept private and that the installation of permanent leadership at DOJ and FBI will resolve the controversy as DOJ commits to a process for looking at the Jan. 6 investigations.

“I don’t know of an FBI agent who doesn’t stand by their work, so we welcome a review of the work,” she said. “But we are just concerned that it will be done in a thorough and fair manner.”

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.

February 7, 2025
FBI agents detail J6 role in exhaustive questionnaire, mass firings considered unlikel

Mass exodus at the FBI and DOJ expected

Fox News correspondent David Spunt has the latest on the debate surrounding President Donald Trump’s efforts to overhaul the FBI and Justice Department on ‘Special Report.’

FIRST ON FOX: A questionnaire that employees with the Federal Bureau of Investigation say was sent to thousands of people in the agency’s ranks this month asked detailed questions about any role agents may have played in the investigation into the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riots — ranging from whether they testified in any criminal trials to when they last participated in investigation-related activity.

The questionnaire was included in a lawsuit filed by nine current FBI agents and employees in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Tuesday.

The White House and Justice Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION

Questions ranged from agents’ participation in any grand jury subpoenas, whether the agents worked or responded to leads from another FBI field office, or if they worked as a case agent for investigations.

Former Justice Department officials have cited concerns that the probe or any retaliatory measures carried out as a result could have a chilling effect on the work of the FBI, including its more than 52 separate field offices.

But one retired FBI agent urged calm, noting to Fox News that the acting director and deputy director of the FBI still remain in place. This person also stressed that the Jan. 6 investigation and the FBI personnel involved in investigating each case “fully followed Bureau and DOJ guidelines,” and that violations of federal statutes were “proven beyond a reasonable doubt in federal courts of law.”

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President Donald Trump declined to answer questions on Monday over whether his administration would remove FBI employees involved in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, telling reporters only that he believes the bureau is “corrupt” and that his nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, will “straighten it out.”can

To date, there are no known plans to conduct sweeping removals or take punitive action against the agents involved.

This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and other national news.

February 4, 2025
FBI agents sue Trump DOJ to block any public identification of employees who worked on Jan. 6 investigations

A group of nine FBI agents filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block the public identification of any FBI employees who worked on the Jan. 6 investigations into the U.S. Capitol riots, in an attempt to head off what they described as potentially retaliatory efforts against personnel involved in the probe.

The plaintiffs, who filed the lawsuit anonymously in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, said that any effort to review or discriminate against FBI employees involved in the Jan. 6 investigations would be “unlawful and retaliatory,” and a violation of civil service protections under federal law.

The lawsuit cited the questionnaire employees were required to fill out detailing their specific role in the Jan. 6 investigation and Mar-a-Lago investigation led by former special counsel Jack Smith.

FBI AGENTS GROUP TELLS CONGRESS TO TAKE URGENT ACTION TO PROTECT AGAINST POLITICIZATION

FBI agents have filed a lawsuit to block the public identification of any employees who worked the Jan. 6 cases. (Getty Images)

“Some Plaintiffs were required to fill out the survey themselves, others were told that their supervisors would be filling out the form,” the lawsuit noted, adding that the employees “were informed that the aggregated information is going to be forwarded to upper management.”

“Plaintiffs assert that the purpose for this list is to identify agents to be terminated or to suffer other adverse employment action. Plaintiffs reasonably fear that all or parts of this list might be published by allies of President Trump, thus placing themselves and their families in immediate danger of retribution by the now pardoned and at-large Jan. 6 convicted felons.”

President Donald Trump declined to answer questions on Monday over whether his administration would remove FBI employees involved in the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, telling reporters only that he believes the bureau is “corrupt” and that his nominee for FBI director, Kash Patel, will “straighten it out.”

This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and other national news.

February 4, 2025
Mexican cartels planning attacks on US border agents amid crackdown

Mexican drug cartels are ordering their members to target U.S. Border Patrol agents with kamikaze drones and other explosives amid a crackdown at the southern border by the Trump administration.

An internal memo titled “Officer Safety Alert” cited social media posts and other sources for the warning to federal agents, the New York Post reported. Agents were reminded to be “cognizant of their surroundings” and should be wearing their ballistic armor and utilizing their long firearms.

MEXICO AGREES TO DEPLOY 10,000 TROOPS TO US BORDER IN EXCHANGE FOR TARIFF PAUSE

Rival drug cartels exchange gunfire in Mexico. (Fox News) (Fox News)

“On February 1, 2025, the El Paso Sector Intelligence and Operations Center (EPT-IOC) received information advising that Mexican cartel leaders have authorized the deployment of drones equipped with explosives to be used against US Border Patrol agents and US military personnel currently working along the border with Mexico,” the memo, obtained by the newspaper, states.

“It is recommended that all US Border Patrol agents and DoD personnel working along the border report any sighting of drones to their respective leadership staff and the EPT-IOC,” it said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

News Nation, which first reported the memo, reported TikTok posts and other social media sites used by Mexican drug cartels have also advised illegal immigrants to spit and urinate on ICE agents and defecate in their vehicles.

Other posts have urged assassins to target border personnel.

NEW SECRETARY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO PAUSES REFUGEE OPERATIONS, RAMPS UP VISA VETTING

U.S. Border Patrol after agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton, Texas last week. (Texas Department of Public Safety)

Last week, Border Patrol agents received gunfire from cartel members in Mexico while patrolling in Fronton, Texas, the Texas Department of Public Safety said. The cartel members fled Mexico because of a military presence and sought refuge on an island between Mexico and the U.S., DPS said.

The warning comes as the Trump administration has launched deportation raids targeting illegal immigrants with criminal records and enacted tougher measures to secure the southern border.

Cartel leaders have realized a proactive U.S. presence on the border could cut into their drug and human smuggling profits, the memo showed, according to the Post.

Last week, U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, suggested the idea of the U.S. green-lighting private parties to target drug cartels for profit.

“Congress could issue letters of marque and reprisal authorizing private security firms or specially trained civilians to intercept cartel operations, particularly those involving drug shipments or human trafficking across borders,” Lee wrote on X. “Focus on disrupting supply lines, capturing high-value targets, or seizing assets like boats, vehicles, cash, gold, or equipment used in criminal activities.”

A U.S. Border Patrol agent stands on a cliff looking for migrants that crossed the border wall between the U.S. and Mexico near Sasabe, Arizona. Agents are reportedly being targeted by Mexican drug cartels amid a crackdown by the Trump administration to secure the southern border. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

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Lee suggested it would lower costs to American taxpayers, since privateers would be paid a portion of what they capture and bring back to the U.S.

February 4, 2025
FBI agents group tells Congress to take urgent action to protect against politicization

FIRST ON FOX— The Federal Bureau of Investigation Agent’s Association (FBIAA) sent a letter to House and Senate leaders Monday raising “urgent concerns” over recent actions taken by acting DOJ and FBI personnel, which they say threatens careers of thousands of employees and risks disrupting the bureau’s essential work.

The FBIAA, a voluntary professional association representing more than 14,000 active and retired FBI special agents, cited in particular the order from acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove to terminate the entire FBI senior leadership team, and the assistant director in charge of the Washington Field Office, as well as the order for bureau employees to compile lists of all current and former personnel who worked on investigations related to January 6, 2021, and a Hamas-related case.

The lists, the group said, “will be used to determine whether those individuals should face additional personnel actions.”

“Put simply, Special Agents who risk their lives protecting this country from criminals and terrorists are now being placed on lists and having their careers jeopardized for carrying out the orders they were given by their superiors in the FBI,” the group said, saying the actions both lack “transparency and due process,” and “are creating dangerous distractions, imperiling ongoing investigations, and undermining the Bureau’s ability to work with state, local, and international partners to make America safe again.”

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This is a breaking news story. Check back soon for updates.

Breanne Deppisch is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the 2024 election and other national news.

February 3, 2025