DHS auditors rebuke ICE for failing to stop fentanyl from entering the U.S. as resources shifted to the Trump admin’s immigration enforcement agenda
A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) audit report has criticized ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) division for allowing its anti-fentanyl work to decline sharply in fiscal 2025 as the agency redirected resources toward President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agenda. A DHS inspector general report released in August found major drops in fentanyl investigations, agent hours and seizures, while immigration-enforcement hours surged. The audit also found longstanding problems with intelligence systems, funding and coordination that it said weakened HSI’s ability to properly carry out its counternarcotics mission.
Fentanyl investigations fall as immigration work surges
The DHS Office of Inspector General said HSI’s technology, intelligence and information-sharing practices “did not effectively enable it to counter fentanyl entering the United States.” The audit report accused HSI of prioritizing “immigration enforcement over fentanyl-related criminal investigations.”
Based on interviews with 100 HSI agents, auditors found fentanyl investigations fell 24% from fiscal 2024 to 2025, while agents spent more than 250,000 fewer hours on such cases, a decline of about 31%. Fentanyl seizures fell 39% as immigration-enforcement hours increased by more than 1.7 million — more than 800%.
$150 million analytics system RAVEn draws scrutiny
Auditors also examined HSI’s RAVEn analytics platform, which cost more than $150 million to develop. Agents and analysts told investigators that technical shortcomings made the system difficult to use, forcing some investigative work to be performed manually.
According to the report, in six of the 11 field offices interviewed, personnel had largely abandoned RAVEn’s analytical tools because they did not assist investigations. The audit also found that HSI has begun decommissioning some tools while moving toward a new contractor-supported system.
Funding problems also affected investigations, as agents at eight offices reported delays in obtaining money for evidence and information, with one case involving a wait of more than two months.
Audit finds coordination problems
The audit also found that Customs and Border Protection (CBP) did not consistently refer fentanyl seizures to HSI despite existing coordination guidance. Auditors said the guidance dates to 2006 and that no departmentwide initiative had clarified responsibilities.
Scott Mechkowski, a former ICE deputy field office director, said several problems pointed out in the audit predated the Trump administration. “Three of the findings are legacy problems. They’re not from a FY25 policy choice,” he told Newsweek. He cited RAVEn, the CBP referral agreement and funding delays as longstanding weaknesses, while acknowledging “there is a real tradeoff” when resources are redirected to immigration enforcement. Mechkowski cautioned that “hours and seizures are activity measures, not outcomes,” noting that CBP conducts most fentanyl interdictions at ports of entry.
The inspector general issued four recommendations to strengthen HSI’s anti-fentanyl mission, covering analytics oversight, investigative funding, CBP referral procedures and staffing. ICE concurred with all four.
DHS challenges claims of weakened counternarcotics mission
DHS disputed the characterization of a weakened anti-fentanyl mission, saying “ICE-HSI is working closely with the department to track metrics and execute goals to assess how well ICE-HSI is combating fentanyl.”
An agency spokesperson said the DHS launched an agency-wide fiscal 2026 action plan with “key milestones for combating fentanyl,” while arguing that HSI “continued to carry out their action plan to combat fentanyl despite inconsistent funding for the program due to multiple Democrat shutdowns.”