WASHINGTON — An increased focus on illegal immigration hindered U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations division in its efforts to investigate fentanyl trafficking, according to a new report from the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general.
The report found HSI’s work countering fentanyl declined significantly from fiscal year 2024 to fiscal year 2025 as the agency shifted more resources toward immigration enforcement.
Fentanyl investigations dropped 24%, the number of investigative hours spent on fentanyl cases fell by about 30%, and fentanyl seizures decreased 39%.
Agent hours dedicated to fentanyl investigations had steadily increased from fiscal years 2022 through 2024. But in fiscal year 2025, those hours dropped by more than 250,000 (about 31%) compared with the previous year.
At the same time, immigration enforcement accounted for more than 1.7 million additional agent hours, an increase of more than 800%.
The watchdog investigators interviewed more than 100 ICE agents. At one office, agents said about 99% of the work was dedicated to immigration, leaving almost no capacity for fentanyl investigations. At another, a seven-agent drug investigation team was reduced to two or three agents after personnel were reassigned to immigration cases.
The report also found other problems that hindered HSI’s efforts to investigate fentanyl trafficking, including technology limitations, delays in getting investigative funds and inconsistent referrals from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
HSI spent millions of dollars developing analytical tools for agents and analysts, but the inspector general found the tools were not widely adopted because of technical limitations. Some were ultimately decommissioned just three years after being launched.
Investigators also reported problems getting money needed to purchase information or evidence during drug investigations.
Agents at eight of the 11 field offices interviewed said they did not always have enough funding available to begin those purchases. In one office, agents waited more than two months for funding needed to purchase evidence during an active investigation.
The watchdog said that delays can be especially problematic in drug investigations because agents may need to pay informants or purchase drugs from dealers as part of controlled operations.
The report said HSI does not have policies or procedures in place to ensure agents can get that money as quickly as possible.
The inspector general also found that HSI does not have independent authority to investigate some fentanyl-related offenses and that referrals of fentanyl cases from CBP to HSI have been low and inconsistent.
The audit was conducted from March 2025 through May 2026.
The inspector general made several recommendations, including that HSI review its staffing levels to make sure it has enough agents working on fentanyl investigations and develop procedures to make investigative funds available more quickly.
The report also recommends improving the process for evaluating analytical tools before they are implemented and reviewing how investigative cases are referred between HSI and CBP.
The findings come as the Trump administration has stated that both immigration enforcement and fentanyl trafficking are major priorities.
During the 2024 presidential campaign, President Donald Trump pledged to take action against Mexico and China over fentanyl and designate cartel organizations as terrorist groups. After taking office, Trump signed an executive order declaring a national emergency at the southern border, citing the flow of illicit drugs into the United States.
