DHS Reassigns Hundreds of Cyber Staff to Border Security

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has ordered hundreds of employees to undergo Management-Directed Reassignments to agencies focused on border security and deportation. Personnel from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and the U.S. Coast Guard must accept transfers to agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and the Federal Protective Service or face termination from federal service.

The realignments target CISA's Capacity Building unit and Stakeholder Engagement Division, as well as FEMA's human resources and personnel security workers. These moves align with White House priorities to expand detention capacity and accelerate deportations. The shift occurs while the U.S. faces a surge in cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure and federal courts.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the actions as a routine alignment of personnel to meet mission priorities. She dismissed claims that the moves leave the nation unprepared for cyber threats and asserted that CISA had previously been focused on censorship and electioneering rather than defending critical infrastructure.