US abandons child exploitation and drug cases to prioritize ICE, Democrats allege

US abandons child exploitation and drug cases to prioritize ICE, Democrats allege
Exclusive: Letter decries 'stunning abdication of basic responsibilities' and demands to know how many officers diverted

Sam Levin
Wed 7 Jan 2026 12.21 EST
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The Trump administration has abandoned efforts to combat child exploitation, human trafficking and cartels as it diverts thousands of law enforcement personnel to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Democratic senators said in a letter to the White House.

Ruben Gallego of Arizona, along with 28 other Democratic senators and one independent, wrote to the president, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DoJ) on Monday demanding that federal officials provide a "full accounting" of officers who have been redirected to immigration enforcement and a list of all investigations affected by the reassignments...