Acting DHS Secretary Huffman invoked first-ever mass influx finding, deputizing law enforcement in all 50 states for immigration enforcement
On January 23, 2025, Acting DHS Secretary Benjamine C. Huffman signed a formal "Finding of Mass Influx of Aliens" — the first invocation of the 1996 statutory authority in its 29-year history — declaring an imminent emergency at the southern border affecting all 50 states. The finding authorized DHS to request immigration enforcement assistance from state and local law enforcement nationwide under 8 U.S.C. § 1103(a)(10), bypassing the training and agreement requirements of the standard 287(g) program. A companion directive simultaneously expanded enforcement authority to DOJ components — the U.S. Marshals Service, DEA, ATF, and Bureau of Prisons — that have no statutory immigration function.