President Donald Trump is set to make sweeping cuts to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
“Under President Trump’s leadership, we are making sweeping cuts and reform across the federal government to eliminate egregious waste and incompetence that has been happening for decades at the expense of the American taxpayer,” a spokesperson for DHS told Newsweek.
Newsweek understands that more than 400 employees will be let go in the cuts.

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Why It Matters
The Trump administration’s effort to cut high-level DHS employees is part of a broader push to reshape the federal workforce, driven by Trump and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk’s plot to downsize the government.
The cuts could significantly impact DHS, the agency responsible for enforcing immigration laws through Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). With Trump relying heavily on CBP to secure the southwest border and ICE to conduct arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants, the shake-up could reshape immigration enforcement and federal governance.
What To Know
The Trump administration plans to dismiss hundreds of senior DHS officials this week to reshape the nation’s third-largest agency by removing individuals perceived as not aligning with its objectives, according to NBC News.
NBC News reported that the administration has a “centralized plan” and a list of people in high-level positions across the department who will be targeted as soon as this week. High-ranking career employees, including those in the Senior Executive Service and General Schedule 15 positions, could be removed from various DHS agencies—not to shrink the workforce, but to eliminate individuals the Trump administration views as obstacles to its goals for the department.
The cuts will total 405 positions across multiple agencies, including more than 130 from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), less than 50 from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), more than 200 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and 10 from the Science & Technology Directorate. Additionally, 12 members of the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) working on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives have been placed on administrative leave in Washington, with an offer to transition into border security roles at the southwest border.
What People Are Saying
A DHS spokesperson told Newsweek: “Today’s Department of Homeland Security personnel action will result in roughly $50 million in savings for American taxpayers and incalculable valuable toward accountability and cutting red tape. DHS component leads identified non-mission critical personnel in probationary status. We are actively identifying other wasteful positions and offices that do not do not fulfill DHS’ mission.”
Tom Decker, a former ICE New York field office director, told Newsweek: “I trust President Trump and his administration to enforce the laws and regulations to keep the communities in the United States safe. If there are employees that are following their own agenda that are opposite of the laws, regulations and policies they are sworn to enforce, then the administration needs to take the appropriate actions.”
A Trump administration official told NBC News: “These people put themselves in a terrible position, and they need to be removed.”
What Happens Next
The Trump administration is expected to continue making cuts to the federal government.