(WASHINGTON) — The FBI is planning to reallocate potentially thousands of agents away from immigration enforcement to focus on cyber threats and counterterrorism efforts, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News Tuesday.
The shift in resources was prompted in part by the U.S. strikes in Iran over the weekend, the sources said.
The FBI has discussed shifting at least a couple thousand agents away from immigration work to help protect against threats from foreign adversaries, especially Iran, said the sources.
“The FBI does not comment on specific operational adjustments or personnel decisions,” an FBI official told ABC News. “However, we continuously assess and realign our resources to respond to the most pressing threats to our national security and to ensure the safety of the American people.”
Since the FBI started assigning agents to work on immigration enforcement in support of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, agents in the field had been expressing concerns that fewer resources were being dedicated to counterterrorism and cyber threats, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
ABC News previously reported that several months ago, the FBI directed agents from around the country — many of whom were working on counterterrorism and cyber issues — to focus instead on helping the Department of Homeland Security conduct immigration enforcement operations.
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