In a significant shift ordered by the FBI leadership, federal agents will prioritize immigration enforcement over investigating white-collar crime for at least the remainder of 2025. This new directive aligns with President Donald Trump’s broader strategy to confront America’s illegal immigration crisis, putting the security and interests of American citizens first.
Sources within the FBI confirmed to Reuters that agents were explicitly instructed to reduce their focus on white-collar criminal investigations to allocate more resources toward deporting illegal aliens and enforcing immigration laws. This change is designed to amplify the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, which conservatives argue poses a direct threat to American security, employment opportunities, and public safety.
Coinciding with the FBI’s announcement, Matthew Galeotti, chief of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, issued new guidelines to prosecutors urging restraint in handling corporate crime cases. His memorandum suggested that many low-level corporate infractions could be effectively addressed through civil remedies or administrative actions, rather than lengthy federal prosecutions.
The memo highlighted specific white-collar crimes such as health care fraud, elder securities fraud, and Chinese transnational money laundering schemes as areas still requiring robust enforcement. However, Galeotti emphasized that prosecutorial resources should now primarily be directed toward cases that truly justify criminal action, signaling a broader shift toward tougher immigration enforcement.
This dramatic reprioritization reflects President Trump’s commitment to tackling illegal immigration head-on, a cornerstone of his administration’s policy. The move aligns closely with recent announcements from Trump’s acting chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), Andrea Lucas, who warned employers earlier this year against discriminating in favor of migrant and H-1B visa workers over qualified American employees.
Lucas’ February notice was blunt and uncompromising, placing corporations on notice that preferring foreign workers at the expense of Americans would lead to vigorous federal investigations and potential lawsuits. She strongly stated, “If you are part of the pipeline contributing to our immigration crisis or abusing our legal immigration system via illegal preferences against American workers, you must stop. The law applies to you, and you are not above the law.”
Conservatives welcome these changes as essential to protecting American workers from unfair competition, safeguarding national security, and enforcing immigration laws that liberals have historically neglected. Critics on the left, however, have expressed outrage at the FBI’s realignment, accusing the Trump administration of downplaying white-collar crime.
Yet supporters argue that this shift finally corrects years of misplaced priorities under previous administrations, which focused heavily on corporate investigations while neglecting the severe impact of unchecked illegal immigration. They point out that ignoring immigration violations has severely harmed American workers, lowered wages, and burdened communities nationwide.
The administration maintains that strengthening immigration enforcement is not only necessary for national security but also directly benefits American citizens economically by preventing unfair labor practices and reducing reliance on illegal foreign labor.
This shift is a clear reflection of conservative values emphasizing strong borders, strict enforcement of immigration laws, and placing the welfare and economic prosperity of American citizens above corporate leniency and illegal immigration tolerance.
As the FBI moves aggressively toward prioritizing immigration enforcement, conservatives view this as a critical step forward in restoring law and order and fulfilling President Trump’s promise to decisively confront America’s illegal immigration crisis.
