R.C. Martinez, Border Patrol spokesman in San Diego, said his office had received more than 2,000 e-mails and telephone calls applauding the June sweeps. The sweeps were ordered to be stopped by Asa Hutchinson, undersecretary for border and transportation security at Homeland Security, who said department officials had to approve them.
The proposed changes are being discussed at a time when a funding shortage has forced ICE administrators to curtail investigations and do more with fewer agents.
A memo from the agency's San Diego office to senior managers says Homeland Security officials have "encouraged" the special agent in charge to "closely scrutinize all expenditures and curtail spending to the maximum extent possible," and warns that it is "unknown if any funds will be available to bail out any offices."
In addition, the memo says the hiring freeze will probably continue into the next fiscal year.
ICE spokesman Russ Knocke declined to say whether the agency had enough money and agents to conduct criminal investigations and carry out the inland enforcement the Border Patrol is performing.
Neither did he say whether his department would launch sweeps of the kind that created controversy for the Border Patrol.
