USCIS Adds Armed Special Agents to Bolster Immigration Fraud Enforcement

Washington, D.C. - On September 4, 2025, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a landmark expansion of its law enforcement capabilities, authorizing the addition of specially trained agents empowered to investigate and arrest individuals suspected of immigration fraud.

Under a final rule published today in the Federal Register, USCIS will for the first time classify certain employees as 1811 special agents with full federal law enforcement powers. These agents will be authorized to carry firearms, execute search and arrest warrants, make arrests, and present cases for prosecution-functions previously reserved for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection.

USCIS Director Joseph Edlow emphasized that the new authorities are essential to “upholding the integrity of our immigration system” and will serve as a “force multiplier” for the Department of Homeland Security and federal law enforcement partners, including the Joint Terrorism Task Force. He noted that the expansion will better address immigration crimes and hold perpetrators of fraud accountable.

The rule was issued under the Department of Homeland Security’s delegation of authority to USCIS and takes effect 30 days after publication. It codifies existing fraud-detection functions within USCIS’s fraud detection and national security directorate, formally granting those officers arrest and investigative powers.

By integrating law enforcement agents into the agency that administers visas, green cards, and naturalization, USCIS aims to more efficiently clear case backlogs and combat large-scale fraudulent schemes. The agency projects that several hundred special agents will be recruited and trained nationwide in the coming months.