Russell Hott, a senior official at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has been reassigned as part of a leadership reshuffle within the agency last week. The move comes amid mounting pressure from the Trump administration to accelerate immigration arrests and enforcement actions.
Hott has formerly served as the Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Acting Executive Associate Director and the Deputy Executive Associate Director. He brings over two decades of experience in federal law enforcement, having previously served in key roles including assistant director of ERO’s Enforcement Division and field office director in Washington, D.C. Hott will return to the Washington D.C. field office following this reassignment.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) framed the leadership changes as part of an effort to enhance accountability within ICE, an agency tasked with carrying out President Trump’s commitment to large-scale deportations. This reassignment follows remarks from Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, expressing dissatisfaction with ICE’s pace of immigration arrests and recent detainee releases.