What Are You Reading for Fun?
From ICE enforcement to rising crime statistics, a look at the massive operational challenges facing the Department of Homeland Security in 2026.
- By Ralph C. Jensen
- Mar 06, 2026
I know there are people out there who read that daily print newspaper for fun. It is because holding a newspaper is a time-honored tradition and your favorite section is easy to find. Online news is getting easier to navigate.
My solid, go-to section is the Department of Homeland Security and all its tentacle agencies. I guess it is a hazard of my occupation.
For starters, let’s consider ICE. The same ICE that is making headline news. Officials have been rounding up people who are in this country illegally. Some of those individuals are less than desirable and should be rounded up and jailed or sent back home. The concerns are epic in proportion and reach security heights otherwise unknown.
On Feb. 6, ICE arrested the more heinous criminal illegal aliens convicted of murder, involuntary manslaughter, possession with intent to distribute crystal meth and other repulsive crimes.
“While sanctuary politicians play Russian roulette with American lives by releasing criminals from their jails without notifying ICE back into our communities, our law enforcement officers are risking their lives to arrest these public safety threats,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “Recently, DHS arrested multiple murderers, violent assailants and drug traffickers. We will not let anything slow us down from getting criminals out of American neighborhoods.”
As if matters couldn’t get any worse, DHS officials have requested that city and state officials in New York and California not release people already in custody. Just to give you an idea of what ICE and federal officials face, here are some stats.
There are currently 7,113 aliens in custody across the state of New York with an active detainer. The crimes of these aliens include 148 homicides, 717 assaults, 134 burglaries, 106 robberies, 235 dangerous drugs offenses, 152 weapons offenses, and 260 sexual predatory offenses.
The numbers are overwhelming and would tax any police agency and make the wild west of yesterday look more like a mild west. While there are clearly two sides to the controversy that surrounds illegal aliens in the United States, let’s reason together that crime does not belong on the city streets of this country. Clearly, it is not just illegal immigrants causing crime statistics to rise, but it is a darn good place to start in waging a war that interrupts what should be smart cities, secure cities.
This article originally appeared in the March/April 2026 issue of Security Today.
About the Author
Ralph C. Jensen is the Publisher/Editor in chief of Security Today magazine.