Under the Biden-Harris administration, Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were mostly kept in offices to deal with undocumented immigrants. However, as President-elect Donald Trump and his "border czar" Tom Homan vow to boost enforcement, these officers are preparing to return to the streets and flood into sanctuary cities to conduct operations.

The move could mean tens of thousands of ICE officers will soon be out to round up millions of undocumented immigrants, most of whom are now living in the United States after illegally crossing the southern border.

According to the Department of Homeland Security's budget overview, ICE currently has about 21,000 employees, including a large number of non-law enforcement personnel who perform administrative work. Sources revealed that about 60%-70% of ICE law enforcement personnel can only perform clerical work. Some sources in field offices on the West Coast and East Coast told the New York Post that many employees are excited about the upcoming operations and hope to "get back to street law enforcement."

​A source said that rank-and-file employees are looking forward to catching "undocumented immigrants who have been moving freely without consequence during the Biden administration." An ICE official who previously worked for the Border Patrol said that although he has no experience arresting undocumented immigrants at ICE, his past law enforcement experience has given him confidence in the new mission.

However, some sources also said that this is a difficult task for the new administration. The paperwork during the Biden-Harris administration has led to many law enforcement officials lacking field law enforcement experience, and large-scale training may be needed in the future.

In a recent interview, Tom Homan issued a clear warning to sanctuary cities, urging them to cooperate with federal law enforcement. He said bluntly: "If they don't cooperate, then get out of the way - we're here." He also emphasized that enforcing stricter immigration laws requires a lot of manpower, and if necessary, agents will be stationed in sanctuary cities.

​At the same time, there are concerns within ICE about insufficient resources. A source revealed: "It takes adequate personnel to carry out the 'mass deportation' operation, and many departments are already short-staffed." The source added: "If the street action team's arrest volume is not enough, it may be prioritized to replenish the team's strength or even increase the allocation of arrest tasks." He added that he was referring to a plan of the bureau to assist field offices in finding and arresting immigrants who pose a threat to national security or public safety. "If this is not enough, then they will most likely be forced to increase the number of arrest teams to make more arrests.

​It is reported that each ICE office is facing a large number of vacancies, and filling these vacancies requires financial support. One source attributed this funding shortage to the Biden-Harris administration and bluntly stated: "The reason why these positions are not filled is because of the lack of budget." They are referring to the Biden-Harris administration.

Homan, who served as acting director of ICE in the previous Trump administration, said he plans to visit the southern and northern borders in his first week in office to meet with law enforcement officials and understand urgent needs. He also plans to prioritize the arrest of undocumented immigrants who pose a threat to national security and public safety and resume the site raids that the Biden-Harris administration stopped in October 2021.

In addition, some immigrants choose to risk crossing the border now because they are worried about the hardline policies of the Trump administration. On Wednesday morning, a family of immigrants from Venezuela crossed the southern border into Eagle Pass, Texas. A member of the family said: "Although it is risky, we believe that we may face the risk of being deported after Trump takes office."

ICE and Trump's spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment as of press time.