Lester R. Hayes Jr. reported to duty as the new special agent in charge (SAC) of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Dallas. In this role, Hayes leads law enforcement investigations for seven outlying staff offices in 128 counties across North Texas and Oklahoma.
“I am honored to join the ranks of this exceptionally talented and professional workforce of HSI Dallas with teammates that exemplify our mission of safeguarding and upholding public safety. I look forward to working with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners and non-governmental organizations to address the most pressing public safety threats across this region.” Hayes said.
HSI Dallas covers five federal judicial districts within the Northern and Eastern districts of Texas and the Northern, Eastern and Western Districts of Oklahoma.
In fiscal year (FY) 2021, HSI Dallas was ranked fourth in the country in arrests behind three offices located on the Southwest border. HSI Dallas was ranked first across the nation for (non-border) offices for criminal arrests and indictments.
Hayes began his law enforcement career in 1996 as a Police Officer with the Virginia Beach, Virginia, Police Department.
Before this assignment, Hayes led the HSI Office of Administrative Operations (OAO). The HSI OAO manages critical functions that support the efficient use of HSI resources related to budget, human resources, fleet/facilities, acquisitions, policy, and information management for over 10,000 employees throughout the United States and across 50 countries worldwide.
Hayes started his federal law enforcement career in 2001 with the U.S. Customs Service in San Ysidro, California. Since then, he has held senior-level roles at HSI Headquarters, including National Program Manager for the Border Enforcement Security Task Force Program and Section Chief for the Narcotics and Contraband Smuggling Unit.
Additionally, he served as an assistant special agent in charge with HSI San Diego, and deputy special agent in charge of HSI Houston.
Hayes became a member of the Senior Executive Service in 2020 as the deputy assistant director of domestic operations, overseeing transnational criminal investigations conducted by HSI throughout the United States.
Hayes holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business management from Tennessee Technological University.
HSI is a directorate of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of over 10,400 employees consists of more than 6,800 special agents assigned to 225 cities throughout the United States, and 86 overseas locations in 55 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.
