Has Someone at the FBI Been Leaking Plans for ICE Enforcement Actions?

The short answer to the question in my headline is yes. In fact, it’s not even arguable because we know ICE planning documents are leaking. The question is who is doing the leaking and why? Here’s what the LA Times reported last Friday under the headline “Leaked document says ‘large scale’ immigration enforcement action coming soon to L.A.”

Federal law enforcement agents are planning to carry out a “large scale” immigration enforcement action in the Los Angeles area before the end of February, according to an internal government document reviewed by The Times.

The operation, which would be spearheaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, will focus on people who do not have legal status in the country or who already have pending orders of removal, according to the document, which was circulated among some federal law enforcement officials this week…

A federal law enforcement source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said agents with the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Los Angeles field offices are being called in to assist…

The active federal law enforcement official warned that plans could change due to the “chaotic” nature of the Trump administration’s first few weeks in power and expected pushback from within some of the agencies that will be required to aid ICE.

It’s all right there in black and white. ICE is planning to make arrests in LA. Planning documents went out to other federal agencies including the ATF and the FBI who are being called in to assist. Those plans then leaked to the media and someone inside one of those agencies told the LA Times that ICE should know “some agents are going to be resistant.” You really don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out who leaked the plans to the papers.

Something similar happened last week in Colorado.

Federal agents conducted operations at residences across metro Denver Wednesday, including at least seven locations in Aurora, Denver, Thornton and Arapahoe County…

According to NBC News, those operations were pushed back after plans were reportedly leaked last week…

“Op secs [operation security] is important,” said Homan. “That’s why when we go on these operations and the operations got leaked somehow, it makes us less successful. When you leak an operation that means more bad guys are not being arrested, which means more bad guys are walking the streets.”

Fox’s Bill Melugin was along for the ride on the Aurora, CO operation. He reported they were targeting as many as 200 arrests that day but the result was about 30 arrests because several apartments they targeted were empty.

EXCLUSIVE: We were embedded w/ ICE as part of a massive federal operation in Aurora, CA targeting Tren de Aragua gang members. But the op fell far short of its goals, possibly due to leaks to the media that the raid was coming. I’m told 30 arrests were made, & only 1 was TdA.… pic.twitter.com/thO5HsAIbV

— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 6, 2025

Yesterday, Tom Homan went on TV and said those leaks are being investigated by an Inspector General and the person or people responsible will be fired and likely charged criminally. He also said that while he couldn’t reveal what he knew about the investigation, the evidence seemed to be pointing toward the leakers being in the FBI.

BREAKING: Tom Homan just revealed that the DOJ may have identified the mole who leaked ICE’s deportation raids & the leaker will get CRIMINALLY charged.

“They [the DOJ] have opened up a criminal investigation and they have promised that not only this person lose their job and… pic.twitter.com/oEIhy6DDGd

— George (@BehizyTweets) February 11, 2025

The investigation isn’t complete so there could still be some surprises. We’ll have to wait and see if anyone is ever charged. But it does seem clear that someone is leaking the general plans for these operations because they don’t like it that they are being involved in them.