Fentanyl seizures fell 39% during the first year of the second Trump administration, according to a DHS Office of Inspector General report published Friday. The decline came after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shifted its criminal investigations arm, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), toward immigration enforcement, the report found.
Agents with HSI reported that an "all hands on deck" environment toward immigration enforcement began in January 2025, according to the watchdog report. "With ICE dedicating more staff hours to immigration investigations, staffing hours for fentanyl investigations declined," the report said.
Hours and workload shift
Hours dedicated to fentanyl investigations fell by more than 250,000 hours, or 31%, in fiscal 2025 compared with fiscal 2024. At the same time, immigration enforcement saw the largest increase across all investigative categories, rising by more than 1.7 million hours, or over 800%, according to the report.
Inspectors interviewed more than 100 agents from 11 HSI field offices. At one field office, approximately 99% of work was dedicated to immigration, leaving almost no capacity for fentanyl investigations, the watchdog found. A drug investigation team of seven agents was reduced to about three, with the remaining agents reassigned to immigration cases.
Fentanyl is a highly addictive synthetic opioid and a main driver of overdose deaths in the United States. HSI plays a key role in countering fentanyl smuggling by targeting routes and laboratories and collaborating with law enforcement to investigate smuggling operations.
The report also identified hindrances to HSI agents' missions beyond staffing: delays in obtaining funds to purchase information and evidence, a lack of independent authority to investigate fentanyl-related offenses, and a low and inconsistent referral of fentanyl cases from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Watchdog recommendation and ICE response
The inspector general recommended that HSI review staffing levels "to ensure an appropriate level of coverage commensurate with the relative priority of fentanyl investigations." ICE agreed with the recommendation, the report said, and estimated the recommendation would be completed by June 2027.